On 24-25/11/2020, the Plenary of the European Parliament votes to ban the use of lead gunshots in and around wetlands throughout Europe.

The serious effects of lead on human health and ecosystems are well-known and scientifically documented. Especially in wetlands, the use of toxic lead has serious consequences for whole food chains, aquatic birds, and even rarer species.

For this very reason, in Greece the use of lead gunshot for hunting in wetlands has been banned as early as 2013, and the same is true in many European countries (albeit not all), as well as in Canada and the USA. There are alternatives that have been effectively implemented for many years.

However, in Europe lead gunshot in wetlands is still in use in some countries. There are also reactions from a section of politicians and a portion of hunters who oppose a EU-wide horizontal ban. Although the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment has already voted in favour of banning lead ammunition in wetlands, we are also waiting for the vote in plenary.

HSPN wrote to the Greek MEPs, asking for their support for the ban on the use of toxic lead gunshot in and around wetlands. We sincerely hope that science will be taken into account in order to reduce the serious impact on human health and the natural environment.