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Up to 200 million frogs are killed a year to feed the continent’s appetite for amphibians, and France has a “special responsibility” to limit the damage, a group of veterinarians, researchers and conservationists has said. .
Saturday 9 March 2024 14:37, UK
Some frog species are threatened by the frog’s appetite for legs in Europe, particularly France, hundreds of experts have warned.
in a letter to French President Emmanuel Macronmore than 550 military veterans, researchers and conservationists urge the EU to stop allowing “overfishing” of frogs in Asia and southeastern Europe, citing the EU’s hunger for frog legs. demanded.
“We see France “We have a special responsibility to lead on this issue,” he added.
The letter notes that frog populations in France and the EU are protected from commercial exploitation.
Despite this, the EU imports more than 4,000 tonnes of frozen frog legs, or between 80 million and 200 million amphibians, each year.
France collects 3,000 tonnes, according to environmental activist Robin de Bois and Pro Wildlife, who organized the letter.
Most of them are sourced from wild populations, especially Indonesia. turkey The letter states that several species and populations have already experienced significant declines.
Frog legs are also imported from Vietnam, but these are produced on farms, which also has a negative impact on wild frog populations.
Citing “recent field surveys,” the report said one species of fanged river frog (Limnonectes Macrodon) has apparently disappeared from commercial imports into France.
Even common species such as the crab-eating frog (Fejervarya cancrivora) and the rice-field frog (Fejervarya limnocharis) are already in decline “due to years of intense commercial harvesting and export.”
Frogs play an important role in ecosystem functioning, and continued harvesting disrupts their functioning, the letter said.
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Dr Sandra Alther, head of science at Pro Wildlife, said: “This is absurd. Natural frog populations here in Europe are protected under EU law.
“However, the EU still tolerates the collection of millions of animals in other countries, even if it threatens that country’s frog population. It just doesn’t align with our diversity strategy.”
Alain Moussu, president of Veterinaires pour la Biodiversite, said declining amphibian populations were creating “an ecological imbalance and risks to human health associated with increasing mosquito populations.” Ta.
A group of 46 environmental NGOs made a similar request to the French Environment Ministry in February.
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