Setting maximum levels for lead in game meat in EC regulations: An adjunct to replacement of lead ammunition

Rhys E. Green,Vernon G. Thomas,Deborah J. Pain,Niels Kanstrup

doi:10.1007/s13280-020-01336-6

Rhys E. Green, Vernon G. Thomas + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-020-01336-6

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Journal: Ambio	Publication Date: May 25, 2020
Citations: 28	License type: open-access

Affiliation: University of Cambridge, University of Guelph, Aarhus University

Abstract

Each year, hunters from 12 of the 27 European Union (EU) countries and the UK shoot over 6 million large game mammals, 12 million rabbits and hares and over 80 million birds. They support an international game meat market worth over 1.1 thousand million Euros. Animals shot with lead ammunition frequently contain lead fragments in the carcass which contaminate meals made from game meat with concentrations of lead substantially above the maximum allowable level (ML) set by European Commission Regulation EC1881/2006 for meat from domesticated animals. This poses a health risk to frequent consumers of wild-shot game meat, with children and pregnant women being particularly vulnerable. Total replacement of lead rifle and shotgun ammunition with available non-toxic alternatives is needed for all hunting in EU nations to prevent exposure of humans and wildlife to ammunition-derived lead and to allow the depletion of the long-term environmental legacy of lead from spent ammunition. We propose that EC1881/2006 is amended to incorporate an ML for game meats as a supplementary measure to the replacement of lead ammunition. This would harmonise food safety standards for lead in meats traded across and imported into the EU.

Highlights

Modern European hunting results in game meat that is consumed either by hunters, their families or associates and enters the retail market place and restaurants (Schulp et al 2014)
We indicate the scale of game hunting and trade in Europe, and the health risks posed by lead from frequent ingestion of wild-shot game meat
We describe the advantages of amending the European Commission Regulation that sets the maximum allowable level (ML) for lead in domestic meat so that it includes meat from wild game animals

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Modern European hunting results in game meat that is consumed either by hunters, their families or associates and enters the retail market place and restaurants (Schulp et al 2014). The health risk to humans increases with the annual consumption of contaminated game meat (Taggart et al 2011; Green and Pain 2012, 2015), the type of game eaten (e.g. mammals vs birds), and with the vulnerability of the consumer to the effects of dietary lead (especially children and pregnant women). In the UK, it has been estimated that 4000–48 000 children were at risk from incurring a one point or more reduction in IQ as a result of their level of exposure to dietary lead from game meat (Green and Pain 2015) Another survey in the UK by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation and the Countryside Alliance (BASC/CA) found that, in the UK shooting community alone, 9000 (midpoint of 5500–12 500) young (8 years or younger) children consume at least one game meal per week averaged over the year (reported in LAG 2014). This would have implications for the scale of monitoring and testing of the meat from large game animals, but for gamebirds, the lead content of the whole animal bought or served is usually the issue

Findings

DISCUSSION

CONCLUSIONS