The goldfinch, one of the species caught through glue hunting.

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G. Swaine / Shutter / SIPA

  • The Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the EU considers that glue hunting can be authorized if it is limited to "small quantities of the bird species concerned".

  • She believes that this practice can be compatible with the Birds Directive “if this hunting is of cultural importance”.

A practice suspended by Emmanuel Macron pending the decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union.

The general counsel for the latter considers that the capture of birds with glue practiced in France may be compatible with the Birds Directive "if this hunting is of cultural importance", in an opinion published on Thursday.

European judges are not required to follow this opinion when rendering their decision.

France is the latest EU country to allow the use of glue to capture wild birds.

"Small quantities of birds"

According to the General Counsel of the CJEU, the German Juliane Kokott, “the hunting of limes can be considered as corresponding to a judicious exploitation of the species of birds concerned, if the competent French authorities reasonably come to the conclusion that the maintenance of 'a traditional form of recreational hunting, widespread regionally, has cultural significance'.

Its conclusions are restrictive, however.

“Hunting must be limited to taking small quantities of the bird species concerned,” she explains.

Juliane Kokott also calls for "strict monitoring and control" and requires "the criterion of selectivity to be respected".

Five departments involved

"A hunting method can be recognized as sufficiently selective if it is established that the unintentional capture of different bird species and the consequences of such capture are acceptable in relation to the cultural importance of the capture method", she specifies.

Glue hunting divides hunters and conservationists in France where it is still practiced for the capture of thrushes and blackbirds in five departments in the south-east (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Alpes-Maritimes, Bouches- du-Rhône, Var and Vaucluse).

Birds trapped on sticks coated with glue are then used to attract other birds pulled by hunters.

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