EU Lead Ban Moves Ahead Without Rifle Bullets in Immediate Restriction

The European debate over lead ammunition has entered a new phase after EU member states approved a revised proposal to restrict the use of lead shot, while leaving lead bullets out of the immediate text.

According to FACE, the European Federation for Hunting and Conservation, the European Union’s REACH Committee has backed the European Commission’s revised proposal on lead shot.

The key change is the transition period. Instead of the three years initially proposed, the phase-in period for lead shot would now be seven years. The proposed restriction on lead bullets has also been removed from the immediate text, a change FACE links to wider European political discussions around defence, security, technical feasibility and the sector’s ability to adapt.

The file is not yet closed. The proposal now enters a three-month scrutiny period by the European Parliament and the Council, under the EU procedure used for this type of chemical restriction. If no objections are raised, the Commission may move towards formal adoption of the regulation.

A technical pause, not the end of the lead debate

The decision marks a significant change from earlier drafts, but it does not amount to the complete withdrawal of the lead ammunition file. For now, the focus is narrowed to lead shot, especially shotgun use in hunting, while bullets are excluded from the most immediate proposal.

FACE says many of the recommendations submitted by Europe’s hunting sector have been reflected in the final text approved by member states. The organisation sees the longer transition period as a response to the practical, economic and logistical difficulties involved in replacing traditional ammunition across millions of firearms, shooting disciplines and hunting methods.

The technical context is important. Since February 2023, the European Union has already restricted the use and carrying of lead shot in wetlands, and within 100 metres of them, through REACH rules designed to reduce lead poisoning in waterbirds and other wildlife.

Costs, firearms and market adaptation

The new seven-year timetable gives hunters, gun shops, manufacturers and distributors more time to adapt to alternative ammunition. In practice, the issue is not simply a matter of replacing one cartridge with another. It also involves the compatibility of older firearms, the availability of suitable loads, prices, ballistic performance, safe use and the industrial capacity to supply the European market.

The European Chemicals Agency, ECHA, prepared the technical dossier on the risks of lead in hunting ammunition, outdoor sport shooting and fishing. Its risk assessment and socio-economic analysis committees supported the need for EU-wide action, although the subsequent political process has reshaped the scope, timetable and legal structure of the restriction.

For Europe’s hunting sector, the immediate test will be implementation. FACE argues that the transition should draw on the experience of countries that have already moved towards lead-free ammunition, while avoiding a loss of hunting participation, legal uncertainty or supply problems.