birdlife.org
Lead gunshot will finally be banned across the EU - ending the largest remaining source of lead pollution from hunting and shooting
Just now, the European Parliament have voted to let the ban on lead gunshot go ahead, ending years of debate on one of Europe’s most persistent forms of chemical pollution. Due to its extreme toxicity, lead was removed from petrol, paint and pipes long ago, yet more than 44,000 tonnes of lead are still scattered across the EU every year through hunting, sport shooting and fishing, heavily contaminating soils and waterways. Today Europe took a decisive step towards ending it. The vote today stopped two attempts to block the Commission’s proposal, tabled by members of the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR) and Patriots for Europe Group (PfE). One was defeated in the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) Committee on Monday and both in today’s plenary vote, which puts the restriction on track for final adoption. Once in force, this restriction will ban lead gunshot everywhere, including outside of wetlands and sport shooting, with a seven-year transition period. It will be applied across the EU, the European Economic Area, and Northern Ireland. It builds on the ban on lead shot in wetlands, which has applied across all 27 EU Member States since 15 February 2023. Today’s decision...
