An urgent appeal has been filed against a prefectural decree providing for the elimination of 1,430 foxes by 2021 in Seine-Maritime. The Rouen administrative court will examine the appeal on Wednesday afternoon.
Taken on July 20, the decree meets the need for "regulation of fox populations" in the department to "limit the depreciation" of the species on small game, said the prefect. It is based "in particular" on a "file made up by the departmental federation of hunters".
The @ Prefet76 issued a decree to eliminate 1430 foxes with the same endless justifications given by hunters. We will be at the Rouen court on August 19, 2020 to have this decision suspended! #JAimeLesRenards #RenardsNuisiblesVraiment https://t.co/XwfJM7XdgY
- One Voice (@onevoiceanimal) August 17, 2020A "shameful" decision for environmentalists
The State noted a "significant" increase in the fox population in Seine-Maritime. "The kilometer abundance index has gone from 0.58 to 0.67 between 2019 and today," says the prefecture. The decree also mentions the need to limit “the risk of spreading transmissible diseases [...] carried by the fox” and that of “protecting poultry farms”. Only 15 “lieutenants de louveterie” will be authorized to proceed with the elimination.
On July 28, Jean-Michel Bérégovoy (EELV), second assistant to the PS mayor of Rouen, denounced a “shameful” decision. "The fox has its place in our ecosystem and plays a role in its balance," he said in a statement. It was One Voice who filed the appeal. The animal defense association disputes the counting methods of the prefecture and the impact of these destruction campaigns.
During a public consultation organized from May 29 to June 19, 2,468 people spoke out against the draft decree and 832 in favor. In 2018, One Voice had already obtained the annulment in summary proceedings of two similar orders in Eure and Meurthe-et-Moselle. For its part, France Nature Environnement (FNE) Normandy condemned an “ecologically aberrant” decree, highlighting the role of the role in the ecosystem.
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