On Monday, during Emmanuel Macron’s presidency, the government announced that it would tighten regulations against hunting under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Hunters who are involved in a serious accident should also lose their license in the future. The preventive measures include increasing training and safety requirements and a “system” to warn hikers of active hunting areas.
However, the government had not announced a demand that, according to surveys, was appreciated by the French population: a ban on hunting on Sundays. The National Hunters’ Association (FNC), which cannot imagine a Sunday without hunting “for a second”, had welcomed the government’s “pragmatism”. He wants to support the measures of “common sense”. Macron is to be commended for not attacking on Saturday and Sunday.
“President of the Hunters”
For environmentalists, the plans mean another kneeling before the hunting lobby. France’s acting legend and animal welfare activist Brigitte Bardot had criticized Macron in an open letter – even before the announcement – as “president of the hunters” and “puppet” of the FNC. “Because you personally oppose the introduction of no-hunting Sundays (…), you are held personally responsible for Sunday accidents,” Bardot said.
According to reports, Macron has maintained good contacts with the national association since 2017 – even if he does not hunt himself. The newly elected head of state celebrated his 40th birthday at Chambord Castle, a traditional hunting domain. In 2018, Macron halved the fees for the hunting license in order, according to the official argument, to promote young people. The hunting association was pleased with the measure.
Many hunters – many accidents
Macron’s relationship with the hunting association has often been the subject of domestic political debates in the past. According to opponents of the president, Macron squints at the large interest group, especially during election campaigns. After all, five million French people have a hunting license, and according to FNC figures, 1.1 million are actively registered hunters. For comparison: According to the umbrella organization, there are a total of 130,000 hunters in Austria.
However, there are also many accidents. According to the latest data from the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB), there were a total of 90 accidents in the 2021/22 season, six more than in the previous season, eight of which ended fatally. For example, a 67-year-old man was hit in the neck by a stray bullet from a hunter on the freeway. The hunter is being investigated for manslaughter.
In the last 20 years, 88 percent of the victims of hunting accidents were the hunters themselves. According to the OFB, the number of injured people who are not part of the hunt has risen from twelve to 26 percent over the past two decades. “In the vast majority of cases, the accidents are due to human error related to non-compliance with basic safety regulations.”
“Fire and Brimstone” about landscape
Critical voices have already been raised in recent years, saying that the French government is accommodating to all the hunters’ requests so as not to annoy the lobby group. This should also have been the case with the measures currently presented. The hunting association had spoken out in favor of a new criminal offense when hunting: It should be regulated in a similar way to alcohol and driving. On the other hand, if there were to be non-hunting days, “fire and brimstone” would descend on the French countryside, the hunters warned.
Well-known environmental protection organizations described the announced plans as “ridiculous”. Former MP and current chairman of the League for the Protection of Birds, Matthieu Orphelin, told Le Monde: “If in the end the safety plan for hunting only consists of a few small measures like the ban on hunting under the influence of alcohol – which would be the minimum anyway – or the The government’s idea of a voluntary mobile application for hunters to report their whereabouts will greatly disappoint the four out of five French who want a hunting-free Sunday.”
More fatalities on weekends?
The demands for a ban on hunting on Sundays and Saturdays are also argued with the fact that there are more accidents on weekends. But the Secretary of State for Ecology, Berangere Couillard, contradicted the organizations. There is no evidence that this will result in fewer victims. “The goal that I firmly believe in is to reduce the number of accidents to zero,” Couillard said on Monday. “It’s enhanced security, seven days a week, that we’re aiming for.”
According to the Un jour un chasseur association, 83 accidents have already occurred this hunting season, 57 of them on weekends and 39 of them on Sundays, said Mila Sanchez, a co-founder of the organization. Three of the accidents ended fatally. Sanchez and friends started the petition for more safety measures when hunting, which is why the government had to come up with something. The starting point of the petition was the death of her childhood friend Morgan Keane. He was mistaken for a wild boar by a hunter on December 2, 2020 and was killed.
On Thursday, the hunter was sentenced to a two-year suspended prison sentence and a lifelong hunting ban following the involuntary manslaughter trial. The organizer of the hunt, meanwhile, received an 18-month suspended sentence and a five-year hunting ban. Keane’s relatives had hoped for harsher penalties. The family’s lawyer said: “The judiciary has done its job within the framework of the existing laws.” Now the legislature must do its job and create a specific “hunting offence” that could allow for harsher penalties.
