On 12 June 2025, Senator Yannick Jadot introduced a bill in the French Senate that would ban the import and export of hunting trophies from protected species, claiming that trophy hunting is inconsistent with conservation and national values. The justification cites the IPBES report and a 2023 Ifop poll suggesting 91 percent public support.
However, that figure does not reflect informed public opinion. A 2024 YouGov survey, commissioned by CIC, FACE and partners, found that only 31 percent of French citizens supported a trophy import ban when informed it could harm biodiversity or rural communities. 65 percent acknowledged hunting’s role in wildlife management, and over 70 percent said policy on hunting should be based on scientific evidence rather than ideology or emotion. [1].
In June 2025, the European Commission confirmed that there is no change to the EU’s approach to hunting trophy imports, reaffirming that they remain regulated at the EU level through case-by-case scientific review under CITES. The Commission reasserted that national bans, such as the one proposed in France, risk exceeding Member State authority [2].
A legal memorandum published in August 2024 concluded that a national trophy import ban would likely conflict with the EU’s exclusive competence over trade policy and breach obligations under EU law and CITES [3].
Many expert bodies, including the IUCN, confirm that well‑regulated trophy hunting supports conservation and habitat protection. A 2016 IUCN briefing states:
“Trophy hunting, when well-managed, can and does generate incentives and revenues for conservation.” [4]
None of this is addressed in the proposed legislation. Instead, it overlooks input from conservationists, wildlife scientists and the very countries that manage the species in question. Even more concerning, the bill would criminalise the advertising or promotion of lawful international hunting, potentially leading to one year in prison and €75 000 in fines for promoting conservation-based hunting activities online or elsewhere [5].
Official representatives from Southern African countries, including Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and South Africa, have publicly expressed concern over import bans. They described such bans as misguided, warning that eliminating hunting revenue would “hurt conservation programs in our countries” and expressed disappointment at EU countries considering such policies [6].
France already adheres to CITES regulations, permitting the legal, quota-based import of fewer than 200 trophies each year after rigorous sustainability checks. A blanket ban would dismantle existing legal and transparent systems, making enforcement far more difficult [7].
Conservation is complex. It requires science, legal clarity, community involvement and international cooperation: not symbolic bans that risk undermining proven solutions.
France should work within existing legal frameworks and strengthen case-by-case oversight, rather than introducing national restrictions that may violate EU and international law and weaken conservation incentives.
References
- [1] FACE–CIC–YouGov Survey (March 2024), “French Say Oui to Hunting”, https://www.face.eu/2024/03/french-say-oui-to-hunting-new-survey-reveals-majority-support/
- [2] CIC (June 2025), EU Confirms No Change to Policy on African Hunting, https://www.cic-wildlife.org/eu-confirms-no-change-to-policy-on-african-hunting/
- [3] GvW Graf von Westphalen (August 2024), Memorandum: Defence Against a Ban on the Import of Hunting Trophies into Germany, https://cic-wildlife.de/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Memorandum-Defense-Against-Ban-on-Import-of-Hunting-Trophies10298112.2.pdf
- [4] IUCN SSC Briefing Paper (2016), Informing Decisions on Trophy Hunting, https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/Rep-2016-007.pdf
- [5] French Senate, Proposed Bill No. 741 (2024–2025), Article 2 – Criminal penalties, https://www.senat.fr/leg/exposes-des-motifs/ppl24-741-expose.html
- [6] Voice of America (May 2024), Southern African Nations Wary as UK’s Labor Party Commits to Hunting Trophy Ban, https://www.voanews.com/a/southern-african-nations-wary-as-uk-s-labor-party-commits-to-hunting-trophy-ban/7653350.html
- [7] CITES Trade Database, Annual Report of French Trophy Imports, https://trade.cites.org
