Disastrous news for hunting: Europe approves the ban on lead ammunition and it will take effect in seven years

The European Commission’s REACH Committee on the restriction of the use of lead in ammunition agreed yesterday, June 25, 2026, to ban lead ammunition for shot, establishing a transition period of seven years. The decision does not affect bullets, which fall outside the scope of this restriction.

The decision comes after a long debate process in which the hunting sector and hunting federations have defended the need for a realistic adaptation period to guarantee a safe and viable transition.

Compared with the initial proposal by the Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), which proposed a critical deadline of just 18 months, it has been possible to extend and harmonise the transitional period to seven years.

Rejection by the hunting sector

Nevertheless, the hunting sector considers the approved period insufficient and rejects a ban that is being adopted without the European Commission having provided conclusive scientific studies guaranteeing that hunting can be maintained from an economic, social and technical point of view.

It is also calling for studies supporting the use of alternative ammunition in fundamental areas such as the safety of hunters and their assistants in the face of possible ricochets, the toxicology of substitute materials and the effectiveness of this ammunition in guaranteeing the animal welfare of wild fauna.

The hunting federations and the sector’s representative organisations have warned that the replacement of lead ammunition cannot be approached solely from a regulatory perspective, but must be accompanied by technical guarantees and scientific evidence that ensure the future of hunting once this seven-year transitional period ends.

Pressure in the European Parliament

In this regard, the national hunting sector will demand that Spanish MEPs veto the ban in the European Parliament, which must now endorse the Commission’s decision regarding lead ammunition within a maximum period of three months.

“The hunting federations are going to begin a round of contacts and work with the Spanish representatives in the European Parliament to inform them about the serious harm caused by a decision that is being taken without having studied the impact it will have on the group and without proposing viable alternatives from a technical and scientific point of view,” explains Josep Escandell, president of the Royal Spanish Hunting Federation (RFEC).