The hunting lobby: Behind France's rural power

Cover image: French Connections © FRANCE 24

After football and fishing, France's third-favourite pastime is hunting. The ancestral activity is popular but also divisive, with passions running high between those who defend hunting traditions and a growing number of animal rights activists. Though it's become statistically safer, a majority of French people say they don’t feel secure walking in nature during hunting season. So what steps has the government taken to regulate hunting? And why is the hunting lobby so strong and influential? We take a closer look in this edition of French Connections.