SEAC Agrees on Draft Opinion Restricting Lead in Outdoor Shooting
ECHA announces its Committee for Socio-Economic Analysis(SEAC) agreed on a draft opinion on restricting the use of lead in ammunition for hunting, outdoor sports shooting and in fishing.
According to SEAC, it is necessary to address the identified dangers and guarantee a uniform level of protection for people and the environment across the EU. The Committee does, however, recommend several changes. SEAC will need more information in several areas before deciding on the restriction’s potential consequences.
In its draft, the Committee recommends:
1) A shorter transition period for the use of lead gunshot for hunting: from 5 years down to 18 months. SEAC finds that there is not enough evidence to suggest that the 5-year transition period is required. Further information on this will be asked as part of the upcoming consultation process
2) Labelling of lead ammunition and fishing sinkers at point of sale: SEAC and RAC agree that the same 1% weight by weight threshold used to limit the use and sale of lead ammunition should be present on the labels.
3) Derogation for lead gunshot in sports shooting: according to the SEAC, if a derogation is preferred, it should follow some limitations on shot sizes used. The goal is to preserve as much of the benefits of a ban on the sale of lead gunshot as possible.
The full updated proposal will be made available on June 29th,2022, when the 60-day consultation period starts. A final opinion is set to be adopted in December 2022, and both RAC and SEAC’s opinions will be sent to the European Commission at the start of 2023.
Link to the Q&A document regarding the updates: https://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/2082415/qa_rest_proposal_lead_outdoor_shooting_fishing_rac_en.pdf/b3800e69-a931-a5bc-af33-16f97be45b9f?t=1653985371163
Link to the full article: https://echa.europa.eu/fr/-/rac-backs-restricting-lead-in-outdoor-shooting-and-fishing