135 million birds risk ingesting lead gunshot residue, 7 million birds can swallow fishing equipment containing lead, 14 million birds could eat poisoned prey; Credit: natur&emwelt

natur&ëmwelt has announced that the Ban Lead Now campaign by itself, BirdLife and other partners has reached a significant milestone; since the petition began, almost 600 people in Luxembourg and almost 30,000 people in Europe have expressed their support for the ban on lead ammunition and weights. 

According to natur&ëmwelt, this number underlines the growing awareness of the deadly effects of lead on the environment and wildlife.

Recently, the European Commission also presented a draft proposal to ban lead ammunition and weights under the REACH regulation. Despite this positive development, according to natur&ëmwelt, gaps remain in the proposals, particularly in the area of ​​sport shooting, where weaker clean-up requirements and long transition periods could further exacerbate the problem. To ensure that the ban is actually effective, natur&ëmwelt and its partners are calling for these loopholes to be closed and a full, science-based ban to be implemented without exceptions.

In response to a parliamentary question, the Luxembourg Environment Minister reiterated that the government supports the initiatives to reduce lead emissions. The minister referred to the recommendation of the European Committee for Risk Assessment and the Committee for Socio-economic Analysis, which advocate a complete ban on lead in ammunition and fishing products. Luxembourg would continue to advocate for an ambitious restriction project at European level.

According to natur&ëmwelt, every year, 44,000 tonnes of lead ammunition and weights are released into the environment worldwide. The lead problem not only affects nature and wildlife, but also humans: millions of children in Europe are at risk from lead from ammunition. Lead is highly toxic and has already been banned from many other areas, such as petrol and paint.

natur&ëmwelt continues to appeal to everyone to sign the petition and support the campaign. Every contribution counts to increase the pressure on decision-makers and put an end to lead poisoning once and for all.

To sign the petition, see www.naturemwelt.lu/banleadnow.