Choose health, not poison

#Act4
Wildlife

Choose health, not poison

23 November 2020
News
20,000,000 waterbirds dead. 400,000 tonnes of lead.
The poisoning continues despite legal obligation to phase out lead shot in wetlands 20 years ago, when the 2000 African Eurasian Waterbird Agreement deadline passed. This week MEPs have the opportunity to ban lead with a workable proposal that benefits people, animals & nature and help banning lead gunshots.

The health of European citizens, biodiversity and the environment is at stake as a result of the use of toxic lead gunshot. The Commission is seeking to repair this through a ban on the use of lead gunshot in wetlands.

A very small proportion of EU citizens release 1000s of tonnes of toxic lead gunshot into the environment year on year. This is despite excellent non-toxic alternative gunshot types being available which are comparably priced and in common usage in many Member States.

The price of the toxic pollution is currently being borne by:

  1. One million waterbirds poisoned to death annually, millions more suffering;
  2. People exposed to lead gunshot in their food – of particular importance to children and pregnant women due to impacts of lead on the developing brain;
  3. Soils contaminated and then poisoned for future agricultural use.

Wetlands International, together with Conservation without Borders, Eurogroup for Animals, European Association of Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarians, Humane Society International, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Migratory Birds for People and WWT urge you to end this old-fashioned polluting habit and support the proposal from the Commission to ban use of lead gunshot in wetlands as a significant step to a toxic-free future.

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