Home » News » Seine-Maritime. Justice validates the elimination of 1,430 foxes

Seine-Maritime. Justice validates the elimination of 1,430 foxes

The justice rejected Thursday the summary appeal of the association for the protection of nature One Voice against a prefectural decree authorizing the elimination of 1,430 foxes by 2021 in Seine-Maritime.

The fox sees its population grow in the department of Seine-Maritime in a significant proportion, contrary to what the association asserts, which mentioned a slight decrease during a hearing Wednesday, said Patrick Mine, the summary judge of the administrative court of Rouen.

The number of foxes trapped between 2014 and 2019 is constantly increasing, from 6,654 to 8,010 animals, argues the magistrate, also emphasizing the upward trend in the kilometric index of abundance (method of counting fauna, note) from 2017 to 2020 for this species.

Interruption of all regulatory activity during the state of health emergency linked to Covid-19 contributed to the growth of the fox population, also notes the judge.

Or the protection of human and animal health, the preservation of fauna such as small game, even though this game is also hunted by man, and the prevention of damage to farms […] constitute as many public interests whose existence is sufficiently justified in the present case, adds the magistrate in his written decision.

Cases of scabies

During the hearing on Wednesday, Alexandre Herment, head of the environment service of the Departmental Directorate of Territories and the Sea (DDTM), reported cases of sarcoptic mange reported quite significantly in the department and foxes were found in a very poor sanitary condition.

The association considered that this health risk was not “Not argued” by the prefecture.

As for the impact of the fox on poultry, also mentioned by the decree of July 20, the legal director of DDTM Sophie Messmer had recognized on Wednesday that there was no no damage on professional farms, but on private farms.

The annual amounts of damage communicated by the administration in view of the claims reports of which it was aware from 2014 to 2018 reach the average of € 32,282, according to the judge.

In a press release published after the court decision, the prefecture stressed that the number allowed is a maximum and that he is of the order of 15% of the annual departmental withdrawals observed.

One Voice, the only complainant

For its part, One Voice does not envisage an appeal in cassation before the Council of State, the only possible recourse against the summary. The association is awaiting the examination of the appeal on the merits which will not take place for several months.

One Voice is the only complainant. But the decree had also been strongly criticized by the deputy mayor EELV of Rouen, Jean-Michel Bérégovoy and by France nature environnement (FNE).

During a public consultation organized from May 29 to June 19, 2,468 people spoke out against this draft decree, 832 in favor, according to the prefecture.

One Voice assured the press on Wednesday that similar orders had been canceled in summary proceedings in 2019 in Eure and Moselle, as well as in 2018 in Meurthe-et-Moselle.

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