France faces EU court action over bird hunting with nets

The European Commission is taking France to the EU Court of Justice after the country ignored repeated warnings to ban bird hunting with nets, violating the EU Birds Directive.

The European Commission announced on Wednesday that it is referring France to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to ban the use of nets to catch wild birds, despite multiple warnings.

France continues to authorise horizontal and vertical nets for capturing certain bird species in five departments in Southwest France, a method prohibited under the EU Birds Directive, which bans large-scale, non-selective hunting practices.

“The use of nets to capture birds is prohibited unless member states meet the strict criteria for derogation allowed under the directive, but France has failed to demonstrate that the disputed nets meet those criteria,” the Commission said in a statement.

The Commission has sent repeated warnings to France in 2019, 2020, and 2023, but said efforts by French authorities remain insufficient. The French environment and agriculture ministries have not responded to requests for comment.

Decades of Disputes Over Bird Hunting

The EU Birds Directive protects wild bird species across the bloc and bans deliberate killing, nest destruction, and illegal trade in wild birds. Conservation groups have long criticised France for circumventing EU wildlife protection laws.

Yves Verhilhac, director of the French Bird Protection League, condemned France’s inaction:

"What is happening in France is catastrophic. Lawmakers cave in to hunters’ and farmers’ lobbies instead of enforcing protections. The EU is our only hope."

This is not the first time France has faced legal action over bird hunting. In 2021, the EU Court of Justice ruled that trapping songbirds with glue—a traditional French practice—was illegal and could not be authorised by the state.

The latest case marks another escalation in the EU’s crackdown on France’s failure to comply with wildlife protection laws.

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