On May 17, the National Federation of Hunters (FNC) called on its
members to tour town halls to defend a "Manifesto for French Hunting." Atext riddled with retrograde demands, it attempts to portray a minority,
cruel, and dangerous activity as a pillar of public interest. With the
2026 municipal elections in its sights, the FNC is seeking to woo mayors
to continue imposing its vision of a rural world governed by guns. But
behind the grand words lies an attempt to preserve at all costs a
leisure activity that is losing legitimacy and completely out of step
with contemporary ecological issues. Let's examine their eleven demands,
grouped by theme. Rural Authoritarianism and Security Fantasy
Demand No. 6: "Rural community policing by hunting federations"
This is an attempt to seize control of security. It would entrust an
armed corporation with social control functions over the territories,
without democratic legitimacy. An explosive mix of private power and
police. The expansion of private security into rural areas, as envisaged
by projects in France, also recalls abuses observed elsewhere,
particularly in Africa where private "rangers" ensure the security of
national parks. Entrusting law enforcement functions to groups such as
hunting federations could lead to the militarization of rural
territories. This model, already observed in the form of private
militias or paramilitaries in Venezuela, Colombia, and the United
States, raises concerns about abuses of power, the lack of democratic
control, and the reinforcement of social violence in areas far removed
from central government.
Demand No. 2: "Stop paying hunters alone for big game damage"
This concerns damage caused to crops by "big game": red deer, mouflon,
roe deer, chamois, and the notorious wild boar, whose proliferation
hunters have been responsible for since the 1970s: they raised them,
drove out their predators, and feed them (they put grain in the forest
to feed them). And when these wild boars attack crops, and hunters are
asked to contribute to the damage, they become outraged. It's the logic
of arsonist firefighters: they destroy ecological balances, then demand
that the costs be socialized. And in fact, this is already happening! An
agreement was signed between the State, hunters, and agricultural
representatives at the Paris International Agricultural Show. The State
has allocated EUR80 million to support departmental hunting federations
in their efforts to compensate affected farmers...
Far from being natural, the proliferation of wild boars is fueled by the
actions of hunters, who raise and feed them.
PIXABAY/Toxal
Hunting: Private Recreation, Public Privilege
Demand No. 1: "Recognition of the general interest of French hunting and
inclusion in UNESCO's intangible heritage"
Industrial hunting and recreational practices attack living organisms
and destroy biodiversity. This is not heritage; it is domination. The
"general interest" has nothing to do with corporate interests that
defend the right to kill as a cultural tradition. The argument that
regulation provides a service doesn't hold up for 30 seconds in the face
of serious analysis: France raises tens of millions of birds for
shooting each year, according to the National Union of Game Producers
(SNPGC). Approximately 14 million pheasants and 5 million partridges are
"produced" annually for hunting[1]. These farmed animals are released
into the wild en masse (particularly every weekend from September to
November) to be hunted, making France a European leader in farmed game.
Demand No. 11: "Freedom to continue hunting on weekends, vacations, and
public holidays"
In France, hunters already have the right to hunt every day, according
to certain departmental decrees, which is not the case in other European
countries. This flexibility leads observers to say that "France holds
the European record for the longest hunting season." In most other
European countries, however, Sunday hunting is banned or highly
regulated, and seasons are generally shorter and less flexible. 80% of
French people are calling for an end to Sunday hunting. What hunters
call freedom is the armed privatization of the countryside to the
detriment of all other users (walkers, families, naturalists, etc.):
according to a 2023 Ipsos survey, 89% of French people report feeling
uneasy about walking in the forest due to hunting accidents, and this
figure is only increasing year after year, including in rural areas.
The image of hunting as a rural practice is a myth: 70% of hunters live
in cities, and only 4% are farmers.
PIXABAY/TheOtherKev
Demand No. 8: "Permission for hunters to sell their game without
disproportionate regulatory constraints."
The regulations are there to guarantee food safety and health
traceability. Removing this would open the door to a completely opaque
and risky wild meat market.
Ecology in their own way: adulteration and predation
Demand No. 3: "Rejection of the ban on lead in hunting ammunition"
Lead is a major environmental poison, contaminating soil, water, and
food chains[2]. The European Commission has proposed amending
regulations on hunting ammunition and fishing equipment to limit the
risks of lead poisoning, also known as lead poisoning, among hunters and
their families. According to the European Chemicals Agency,
approximately 13.8 million people, including 1.1 million children, are
exposed to lead from game meat[3]. A study in the Camargue showed that
despite the ban on lead since 2006, poisoning of waterfowl persists,
endangering the entire food chain, including humans[4]. Defending lead
is defending the poisoning of ecosystems in the name of ballistic
comfort. It's irresponsible!
Demand No. 4: "Removal of all European moratoriums and maintenance of
all huntable species"
PIXABAY/garten-gg
France has one of the longest lists of huntable species in Europe.
According to experts, "the country will have 89 huntable species" in
2024 (including 28 species in poor conservation status according to the
IUCN[5]). Biodiversity is collapsing, and scientists are sounding the
alarm[6]. Wanting to continue killing without limits is ecological
denial. These moratoriums are minimal curbs on an already massive
predation[7].
Demand No. 9: "Significant reduction of wolf populations"
The wolf is a natural regulator. The problem with pastoralism stems
primarily from agribusiness and the neglect of small-scale livestock
farmers[8]. Killing wolves is blaming nature for the problems created by
capitalist agriculture.
Demand No. 10: "Return to the full list of 'pests' and maintain trapping
and digging."
The term "pest" is a pure product of utilitarian thinking. All species
have an ecological role. Crows and ravens, often considered pests,
actually play a crucial ecological role. As scavengers, they help
eliminate animal carcasses, thus preventing the spread of disease and
contamination in crops and livestock feed[9]. Their action is
particularly beneficial in agriculture, where they reduce populations of
rodents and harmful insects, particularly white grubs, which can destroy
crops. Furthermore, they contribute to seed dispersal, facilitating the
repopulation of plant species[10]. Several initiatives in France, such
as those in the towns of Rochefort and Saintes, demonstrate that it is
possible to reconcile the presence of corvids with human interests by
opting for respectful management methods such as scaring them away
rather than killing them.
As for trapping and digging out, these are barbaric and outdated
practices, based on a logic of total control over living things. France
remains one of the last European countries to allow digging out, or
underground hunting, a particularly cruel and indiscriminate method[11].
It involves sending small dogs into badger burrows to track them,
digging the earth for several hours, then extracting the animals with
tongs before killing them. According to an Ipsos poll conducted in 2023
for One Voice, 84% of French people are in favor of banning digging out,
regardless of the species concerned, a percentage that has remained
stable since 2018. Trapping involves catching animals using devices
specific to the target species so that they can then be shot by hunters,
or left to die for days, unless they escape, mutilated. These traps
catch wild and domestic animals indiscriminately.
Brutality disguised as folklore
Demand No. 5: "Recognition of the legitimacy of all traditional hunting
practices"
PIXABAY/barbabs
Just because a practice is ancient doesn't mean it's acceptable. Female
genital mutilation is also "traditional." Capturing birds with birdlime,
nets, or traps is gratuitous suffering, not heritage. The word
"tradition" camouflages brutal, non-selective practices that are
prohibited in most European countries. What hunters call "culture" is
often nothing more than ritualized violence.
Demand No. 7: "Creation of a fund dedicated to federations to finance
environmental redevelopment actions."
These "developments" are often geared toward hunting, not ecological
intervention: hedges are created to raise game, not for biodiversity.
Living things are not a playground to be subsidized in order to kill
them more easily. Moreover, the Court of Auditors reported in 2023 that
the allocated funds are being used in the most opaque manner and
demanded clarification[12].
In any case, the myth of the "good hunter" who loves flowers and knows
the forest inside and out is a convenient excuse: in November 2021, on
the set of RMC ("Les Grandes Gueules"), FNC President Willy Schraen
explained his vision of hunting. Asked about species regulation, he
replied bluntly: "My job isn't to be a hunter. I don't give a damn about
regulating..." In the context of this speech, he stated that hunters
hunt primarily for "pleasure" and not as "small hands for regulation."
That says it all!
Faced with "unjustified attacks" from "technocrats" or "dogmatic
environmentalists," as he put it, the FNC is portraying itself as the
victim to better exert pressure on local elected officials. But behind
this corporatist advocacy lies an outdated model clinging to the past.
We want a vibrant, respected, and shared nature. Not a playground
dominated by an armed minority. If we truly want to preserve the
environment, it is imperative to challenge a capitalist and productivist
model that plunders the earth, its resources, and its animals. It is
high time to work towards a different model, a true coexistence that
respects all living things, and a nature restored to its full biodiversity.
Nasham (UCL Montreuil)
Validate
[1]"Hunting Industry: Survey at the Leading Game Farm," L214, 2020.
[2]"Nearly 14 Million European Hunters Exposed to Lead in Game Meat," Le
Figaro, April 15, 2025.
[3]"Lead in Game: 13.8 Million Europeans Exposed, Including More Than
One Million Children," Ouest-France, April 15, 2025.
[4]Mondain-Monval, J.-Y., Defos Du Rau, P., Guillemain, M., and Olivier,
A., "A Look Back at 10 Years of Using Non-Toxic Ammunition in the
Camargue: Hunters' Effectiveness and Effects on Lead Contamination in
Waterbirds," Conservation Science and Practice, 2017.
[5]"More than Half of the Species Threatened in France are not protected
according to the IUCN.
[6]Nadia Drake, "The Sixth Mass Extinction Has Already Begun," National
Geographic, 2016.
[7]"France, European Hunting Champion with 90 Killable Animal Species,"
Le HuffPost, September 6, 2023.
[8]"Wolf Predation on Wild Ungulates: Direct and Indirect Impacts,"
Fauna Sauvage, 2015.
[9]"France, European Hunting Champion with 90 Killable Animal Species,"
Le HuffPost, September 6, 2023.
[10]"Ravens and Crows: Pests or Beneficial Helpers of Nature?" ",
L'Animal Cross, November 7, 2018.
[11]"Victories galore against digging out, a hunt that's slowly
disappearing!", One Voice, September 16, 2024.
[12]"Public support for hunting federations," Cour des comptes, July 13,
2023.
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Chasse-Entre-pratique-retrograde-et-institutions-laxistes
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