It was supposed to be at the end of December, it will be this Monday at 11 am. Bérangère Couillard, Secretary of State for Biodiversity will announce a series of measures to secure the practice of hunting in France.
Admittedly, for twenty years, the number of hunting accidents has fallen by 46% and that of deaths by 74%, recalls the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB). But he recorded 90 accidents during the 2021-2022 season. It’s still 90 too many, says the Association for the Protection of Wild Animals (Aspas). Especially since in the lot, eight were fatal. And the current season, which started in September, already has its share of drama. “There are 18 victims, including one death among non-hunters and 17 victims, including two deaths among hunters,” explains Richard Holding, spokesman for Aspas. How many deaths will it take for the government to finally react? “, he asks.
Unavoidable subject for the government…
In recent years, this subject of securing hunting has come up regularly on the political agenda. Including during the presidential election, after the death of a hiker, killed by a stray bullet during a wild boar beat last February in Cantal. Several candidates then advocated a ban on hunting on Sundays, Yannick Jadot, the EELV candidate, going so far as to mention the whole weekend and school holidays. Emmanuel Macron, he was among the candidates evading the subject.
The presidential past, the subject has not fallen so far. In mid-September, the Senate published a report including thirty proposals for more security in hunting. On November 21, around fifteen environmental associations also sent a letter to Emmanuel Macron asking him for two days without hunting, including Sunday. A few days later, Charles Fournier, EELV deputy for Indre-et-Loire, tabled a bill for hunting that is more respectful of nature and its uses. Discussions in the National Assembly could be held in the spring.
End of hunting on Sunday, non-negotiable for NGOs
In this context, it is difficult for the executive to remain unmoved. But it remains to be seen what Bérangère Couillard will put exactly on the table this Monday. One measure is non-negotiable for NGOs: the end of hunting on Sundays. “Half of recorded hunting accidents take place on this day,” justifies Richard Holding. “Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal have all granted a day without hunting or more, abounds Allain Bougrain Dubourg, president of the League for the Protection of Birds (LPO) . Why would France remain bottom of the class? Here too the context has changed and it is time to adapt the rules. There are fewer and fewer hunters – less than a million today – and, conversely, more and more neo-rurals and nature users (mountain bikers, hikers, Sunday walkers, etc.) want to enjoy it with peace of mind. This would not be the case today, believe nature protection associations. In the Ifop poll that they commissioned and published earlier this week, 70% of French people say they do not feel safe when they walk in nature during the hunting season. “And contrary to popular belief, it is rural people who appear the most worried,” observes Allain Bougrain Dubourg.
As of last week, the LPO was pessimistic, anticipating the “great renunciation” on the end of the hunt on Sunday, the noises of corridors affirming that the measure would be set aside by the government. “It’s that opposite, there is the hunting lobby which remains very powerful”, plague Richard Holding. Willy Schraen, president of the National Federation of Hunters (FNC), does not hide it. “I don’t want to hear about the cessation of hunting on Sundays, not even its experimentation in territories, he asserts. That would be the best way to mess up the country. »
What else to improve hunting security?
However, Willy Schraen ensures that improving safety is the priority for hunters. “Once again, the number of accidents has been falling for 20 years and is extremely low despite what we want people to believe,” he begins. And we are still working to bring them down. We started applying the ten-year training [une remise à niveau de plusieurs heures sur les enjeux sécurité obligatoire tous les dix ans]. We will not oppose, either, alcohol controls before hunting parties, a measure also in tune with the times. “The boss of the FNC also wants to work on this feeling of insecurity, “by improving communication between hunters and non-hunters”, he agrees. For nature enthusiasts (mountain bikers, joggers, hikers, etc.), Willy Schraen is for “the development of Waze-type applications” which would make it possible to report hunting in progress”. For “occasional” Sunday walkers, he recommends much more to direct them towards territories where they never hunt. “There are plenty of them,” he says. The problem is that they are not listed and little brought to the attention of the general public. »
No need to go further? For the Senate, if all the same. Its mid-September report recommended, for example, strengthening the examination of the hunting license by making it compulsory to master automatic weapons and a shooting performance test. He also proposed to make the annual medical certificate mandatory for hunters, as is the case for other sports with weapons. Another request: that of prohibiting alcohol during hunting parties, “while currently, hunting while intoxicated is not formally prohibited”, points out the report.
Between 15 and 20 measures announced
It is from this pool of proposals that Berangère Couillard should draw. “It’s an interesting base, we recognize in the entourage of the Secretary of State. But the minister will also put her stamp, with innovative measures. The plan was still being finalized over the weekend and is expected to consist of between 15 and 20 measures. In the cabinet of Bérangère Couillard, it is already presented as historical. “We will take all progress on securing hunting,” says Richard Holding, who nevertheless prefers to warn that the Senate report does not go far enough. He does not retain the idea of a day without hunting at the national level. We’re coming back! “Everything is a bit of a gimmick next to this measure”, repeats Allain Bougrain Dubourg.fwa