AT VOTE: Sensible Limits on Hunting [Complete] [Complete]

Sensible Limits on Hunting

Category: Moral Decency
Strength: Mild

Description: Recognising the wide ranges of cultures and economic systems that exist across its member nations,

Aware that hunting wild animals for their meat (which is sometimes called either 'bushmeat' or 'game') and maybe for other reasons too is an important activity within some of those cultures and economic systems, and that some people actually rely on those hunts for their own survival,

Concerned that increases in national populations and easier access to hunting grounds may increase levels of hunting, and might also cause the extension of hunting to non-traditional prey species, which could seriously threaten the survival of local stocks or even entire species,

Noting that some meats and other goods obtained by hunting are traded internationally, and that increased populations and/or wealth in importing nations may also promote increases in hunting,

Concerned also that meat obtained by hunting may be likelier than meat from domestic stocks to carry parasites and diseases that could affect people,

Determined that levels of hunting and the international trade in the products of hunting should therefore be regulated, to prevent over-hunting and to protect public health;

Hereby, within any limits set by earlier resolutions that are still in force:

1. Recognises member nations’ rights to allow and regulate the hunting of non-endangered animal stocks, and to ban hunting of any animals, within their borders;

2. Requires all member nations to regulate hunting within their borders, according to relevant expert advice, so as to keep the animal stocks involved at sustainable and environmentally suitable levels (except that they need not protect ‘invasive’ species, species parasitic on people or domestic livestock, or species carrying agents likely to cause serious epidemics in people);

3. Urges member nations that set quotas for the hunting of any animals to give adequate priority for hunting rights to those communities there for whom those hunts are economically and/or culturally the most important;

4. Requires member nations to prohibit the sale and use of meat or other goods obtained by illegal hunting;

5. Requires that meat, captive wild animals, and other goods obtained through hunting, may only be exported from or imported into member nations if they are correctly certified as having been
A. Obtained through legal hunting;
B. Tested properly for risks to public health, and confirmed as safe;
and
C. Taken only from non-endangered stocks, unless they are (i) live animals, embryos, or gametes, being sent for use in scientifically-run breeding programmes; (ii) previous exports being repatriated; (ii) live animals taken from captivity, being sent for release in the proper environment; (iv) obtained in ways that did not increase their stock’s endangerment, and being sent for academic use; or (v) materials included in artworks or antiques, and originally taken (from stocks then not obviously endangered) at least 99 years ago;

6. Urges member nations to teach their people about the ecological problems that unregulated hunting can cause;

7. Urges member nations to ban any hunting methods that are unnecessarily cruel, and the trade in meat or other goods gained using those methods;

8. Urges member nations to ensure that any goods obtained by legal hunting within their borders are properly tested for health risks before being sold or consumed there.

Co-author: Hirota.

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