European Commission orders France to ban 'barbaric' glue traps for birds Birds

Source: Fr24 News

European Commission orders France to ban ‘barbaric’ glue traps for birds

July 30, 2020

France must ban trapping birds with sticks covered in glue after the European Commission threatened legal action and fines.

This decision was welcomed by activists who described the practice as “barbaric” and who urged the French government not to give in to pressure from the powerful hunting lobby.

Hunters support the method of trapping birds, known as glue hunting, is a centuries-old rural tradition and say they are persecuted.

The use of glue sticks to catch birds has been banned in Europe since the Birds Directive of 1979, except in specific circumstances where the practice is “controlled, selective and in limited quantities”. Since 1989, France has invoked these circumstances to authorize glue trapping in five departments in the south-east on the grounds that it is “traditional”.

The French Bird Protection League (LPO) produced evidence from hidden cameras to prove that the practice is not selective and poses a threat to endangered species, which has persuaded the European Commission to act.

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Read more: https://www.fr24news.com/a/2020/07/european-commission-orders-france-to-ban-barbaric-glue-traps-for-birds-birds.html