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HUNTING

French pheasant breeders cry fowl over ferry chick ban

French game producers are suing cross-Channel ferry companies for refusing to transport baby pheasants and partridges to Britain, alleging pressure from anti-hunting activists.

French pheasant breeders cry fowl over ferry chick ban
Photos: AFP

Two major producers, Gibovendee and Envol de Retz, are suing French giant Brittany Ferries, accusing them of “discrimination based on political opinion”, their lawyer Alexandre Varaut told AFP on Wednesday.

The companies, which sell both chicks and eggs for breeding or to estates for hunting, are also taking on British-based P and O ferries and Danish shipping company DFDS in separate courts for the same reason.

The two firms, both based in western France, allege that the shipping companies have been refusing to carry their chicks since 2015 over fears of harm to their brand image, largely “because of anti-hunting pressure”.

Brittany Ferries declined to comment, while P and O merely confirmed that they stopped transporting chicks two years ago.

The case against Brittany Ferries was brought to court last month in the western city of Brest, while cases against P and O and DFDS have been brought before courts in Boulogne and Dieppe to the north.

Brittany Ferries told the breeders the company would not transport the chicks because of possible “trade repercussions linked to boycott threats by anti-hunting associations”, according to the claim filed in Brest.

“Refusing transportation and taking sides with anti-hunting associations is a political choice which constitutes discrimination,” Varaut told AFP.

“What is at stake is the reviving of an industry that represents some 300 jobs in France,” Varaut said.

Denis Bourasseau, who heads Gibovendee, said the game bird industry was very dependent on British imports, adding that Britain previously accounted for more than 45 percent of his sales.

Brittany Ferries stopped shipping chicks in October 2015 after the League Against Cruel Sports, a British anti-hunting group, produced a video on pheasant production in France.

The producers are also appealing to regulators arguing that the ban means they are unable to compete fairly on the British market.

“It's as if one banned a truck from boarding a ferry on the grounds that it transported a metal part for a nuclear plant, just because some people oppose this type of energy,” Bourasseau said.

OPINION: 'Hunting in France is outdated and must be banned'

 

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HUNTING

Swedish regions raise limits on bear-hunting to combat attacks on reindeer

Several Swedish regions have increased the number of bears that can be killed during this year's hunting season.

Swedish regions raise limits on bear-hunting to combat attacks on reindeer
A hunter prepares to go out on the first day of the bear-hunting season in Sweden. Photo: Adam Ihse / TT

Jämtland is doubling the amount of bears that are allowed to be killed in the region this year to 200. 

The decision comes after the regional bear population has grown to 1,044 at the last count. Jämtland is hoping that the expanded license will reduce the number of bears to around 650.  

We have assessed that the heavy expansion of licensed hunting is necessary, partly to reduce the bear population to the regional target within five years,” said Emma Andersson, who is in charge of managing game and hunting for the region.

Sweden allows some licensed hunting of bears, partly because of their interference with reindeer herding, one of the main economic sectors in northern Sweden for Indigenous Sámi people.

There are around 1,000 reindeer herding companies in Sweden, and an estimated 2,500 people are dependent on incomes from reindeer herding, according to the website of the Sámi parliament.

The presence of predators in northern Sweden has become a complicated political issue as they pose a great threat to the sustainable farming practices of the Sámi. The Sámi parliament estimates that one quarter of reindeer are killed by predators each year, significantly higher than the ten percent limit set by parliament. 

At the same time, the hunting of bears and other predators like wolves must be strictly overseen by the region due to their protected status. 

The increased allowance for hunting bears in Jämtland is directed specifically towards areas where there is a clear link that it could harm the reindeer herding industry, according to the regional board.

Similar decisions have been taken in Västerbotten, where 85 bears can be killed this year compared to 25 in the previous year, and in Västernorrland where they are allowing 75, almost doubling the previous year’s figure.

While no decision has been taken yet in Norrbotten, the hunting association is demanding similar measures, as 20 bears were shot last year during the hunt and another 60 through emergency measures to protect reindeer.

The licensed hunting period takes place between August 21st and October 15th in Norrbotten every year, with some exceptions.

A count by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency found that there were around 2,900 bears in total in Sweden as of 2017.

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