Shooting wolves has been stopped Thanks to citizen associations! The Administrative Court of Nîmes has just ruled in favour of ASPAS, Ferus, One Voice and ALEPE, by suspending on an interim basis the Prefectural Decree of 22 July 2016 which unlawfully ordered the “reinforced levy on shooting” a wolf for a duration of 6 months in 6 communes in the Caucasus sector Méjean, in Lozère.
Most French people want wolves to be kept in our country. This is done: in his order suspending the order on 9 August, the judge stressed that the sustainability of sheep farming in the department is not compromised by the presence of a wolf, and notes the absence of the implementation of "defensive shooting" prior to the enhanced levy on shooting.
The administrative judge recalls that battling against wolves cannot be allowed if everything has not been implemented to protect herds at risk of predation. There are indeed other means of protecting herds than a spate of shootings that the Prefects can authorize, who aims to kill wolves. A protected species, only as a last resort should this be considered and only if damage is caused despite the implementation of protective means.
The court thus confirms a "serious doubt as to the legality" of this prefectural decree that does not respect the conditions defined in the ministerial decree governing the shooting of wolves, yet itself extremely permissive.
It is unacceptable that the Prefects, representatives of the law, continue to allow the shooting of a protected species while many herds are left without surveillance or protection, at the mercy of other natural predators such as stray dogs.
The solution is not in slaughter but in a profound change in farming practices and the subsidy system for pastoralists, which currently does not sufficiently encourage good practice.
In the run-up to the regional elections, this fundamental problem is surely too delicate to be tackled by politicians of all types who prefer to multiply the shooting of wolves by not rubbing hunters and the agricultural lobbies up the wrong way, at the risk of taking illegal decisions.
Finally, the associations demand the end of shooting wolves, and the suppression of the compensation given to farmers not protecting their livestock.
Press :
Madline Reynaud - ASPAS
Jean-François Darmstaedter - FERUS
Muriel Arnal - One Voice
