The Hague, 14 December 2021
This article was written by the parties involved in the Green Deal Sportvisserij Loodvrij (deal GD222). The Green Deal initially focuses on voluntary agreements. Those agreements are intended to lead to lead-free sport fishing by 2027. If the 2021 evaluation showed insufficient effect, the parties would also investigate legal options.
Legal exploration
The parties commissioned a legal exploration. The report is titled: Exploration of legal options for lead-free sport fishing. Independent experts reviewed the law from the European to the local level.
The exploration examined these topics:
- professional manufacturing of fishing weights;
- casting/gutting fishing weights at home (home casting of fishing weights);
- sale of fishing weights;
- use of fishing weights.
For each topic the experts investigated possible legal options. They evaluated those options using six criteria for legislative quality.
European route as most promising
Based on the criteria, the experts concluded that the European REACH regulation offers the best chances. Through REACH, bans can be established on professional manufacture, on sale and on the use of lead fishing weights. An additional advantage of REACH is that rules apply directly in all EU Member States.
To achieve this the regulation must be amended. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has already sent a proposal to the European Commission. That proposal concerns the use of lead in ammunition (shot) and fishing gear (fishing weights). You can read ECHA’s announcement here.
ECHA proposes to restrict both the sale and the use of lead in angling (cast weights and in lures) in the coming years. The timeline and further steps can be found here.
The parties within the Green Deal opt for a European approach. They are committed to reducing the use of lead in sport fishing at EU level. The exploration provides a clear legal picture of what is possible and what steps are necessary to achieve lead-free sport fishing.