Brussels, 3 February 2021 – The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has today published its proposal for further restrictions on the use of lead in ammunition for hunting, outdoor shooting and fishing. The report and the annex conclude that restrictions would be justified on the grounds of the risks to the environment and human health. The European Commission (EC) already asked ECHA to prepare these proposals in July 2019.
With regard to lead sold and used in hunting, sport shooting and other outdoor shooting sports, ECHA has proposed the following:
A ban on the sale and use of lead gunshot for hunting, with a transitional period of five years and the possibility for Member States to derogate from sport shooting when release into the environment is minimised.
A ban on the use of lead in rifle bullets with transition periods
18 months for any mid-fire caliber equal to and greater than 5.6 mm
5 years for calibers less than 5.6 mm (and rim fire in general). Derogations for continued use, if emissions into the environment are reduced to a minimum, e.g. when sport shooting ranges are equipped with bullet traps.
Today’s proposals come just one week after the announcement of the restriction on lead shot over wetlands under REACH, and have only received the support of 52% of MEPs, with some opposition at Council level.
The European Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FACE) is carefully assessing these new proposals and will actively monitor the decision-making process.
For more information, including the next steps, see:
https://echa.europa.eu/-/towards-sustainable-outdoor-shooting-and-fishing-echa-proposes-restrictions-on-lead-use
For more information on FACE’s work in the field of ammunition, see:
https://www.face.eu/firearms-ammunition/ammunition/
SOURCE : https://www.face.eu/
