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On the day that legislation to introduce restrictions on lead in fishing tackle was finally given the go ahead – seven years after the EU began considering the issue – one of the biggest supporters of the move has expressed its disappointment at the outcome and questioned how effective it will be in achieving its environmental and health objectives.
The European Fishing Tackle Trade Association (EFTTA) – the body that represents the trade in the region – hit out at the decision not to include a ban on angler’s using lead in the legislation following pressure from a number of Member States. It said: The regulation is a result of many years of scientific assessment, consultation and legislative work aimed at creating an effective EU-wide solution to health and environmental risks associated with lead in fishing tackle.
“The tackle trade has also been preparing for this transition for many years, investing in alternative materials and moving progressively towards lead-free solutions.
“Yet over the course of successive drafts, both the scope of the restriction and its implementation have been watered down. The originally proposed EU-wide sales and use restriction for recreational anglers has become a sales-only restriction, while earlier provisions envisaging information on individual product packaging have resulted in a point-of-sale information requirement.
“Taken together, these changes raise questions about how effective the regulation will be in achieving its intended environmental and health objectives. Lead tackle already owned by anglers can continue to be used, products prohibited from sale may potentially enter through illegal imports and the warning information required at the point-of-sale does not necessarily remain with the product after the purchase.
“EFTTA and the European Anglers Alliance (EAA) had argued for a consistent EU-wide approach – a sales and use restriction applying equally across all EU Member States. This would have also have reduced the risk of different national rules developing across Europe.”
EFTTA added that the EU decision is now final. “However, the regulation does not harmonise the recreational use of lead fishing tackle across Europe. There is still hope that Member States will combine the sales ban with restrictions on use. At the same time, different national approaches could result in further fragmentation of the European market.
“EFTTA and EAA will closely follow these developments together with their members and national partners. Where national use restrictions are considered, both organisations will advocate for practical, proportionate and effective solutions and, as far as possible, consistency across Europe.
“For the tackle trade, however, the immediate priority is clear: identify the products concerned, prepare for the respective phase-out deadlines and implement the new point-of-sale information requirements.”
What changes – and when
For recreational angling, the new legislation restricts the sale of certain lead fishing tackle, but not its use. For commercial fishing, both sales and use restrictions will apply.
The sales restrictions will be phased in:
- Fishing wires and drop-in sinkers: sales ban after six months;
- Sinkers and lures weighing 50 g or less: after three years;
- Sinkers and lures over 50 g and up to 1 kg: after five years;
- Retailers will have to display prescribed warning information at the point of sale for affected sinkers and lures containing one percent lead or more;
- For online sales, the warning information must be included in the sales offer;
- No specific packaging labelling requirement has been established in the current regulation.
As a general rule, products covered by the restriction may contain less than one percent of lead by weight.
Exceptions include:
- Lures made from copper alloys containing less than three percent lead;
- Split shot weighing 0.06g or less, if sold in spill-proof and child-resistant packaging.
