Denmark was the first European country to completely ban lead shot for hunting and target shooting. This paper reviews the process behind this phase-out to document its history, successes, and pitfalls, and to make the Danish experiences accessible ...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
From 2018. The author is described as a Danish biologist, scientist and hunter. His conclusion:
"Although the progress towards eliminating lead shot from use in hunting has been slow, the results in Denmark have been important and long-lasting. Positive experiences from the use of non-lead ammunition are increasingly available from more countries that have enforced regulations for three decades, including North America countries, The Netherlands, Spain, and France. Most Danish hunters were initially negative and skeptical towards the change. This was due to biased information about the actual environmental consequences of firing lead shot into wetlands, postulated (but unfounded) damage to guns caused by non-lead shot, poor killing impact, safety issues, and high prices of non-lead products. Resistance to change was driven by these concerns, combined with tensions between hunting and conservation communities and lack of organizational leadership. The legal progress was ensured by a firm parliamentary regulatory process stimulated particularly by a forceful approach from a “green” opposition and strong conservationists, both organized and individuals, who influenced the government of the time.
"Within a few years of the first regulations coming into force, hunters and their organizations changed their attitude towards the regulation, becoming positive and constructive. This was driven by a wider understanding of the risks of dispersed of lead shot in ecosystems. The introduction of new generations of shot types manufactured of non-lead alternatives from a growing number of manufacturers increased hunters’ confidence that the transition from lead to non-lead shot could occur without jeopardizing shooting performance and safety, and without reducing personal harvest rates or increasing cartridge consumption. The early introduction of steel shot for clay target shooting exposed many hunters to good training experiences. Contrary to some hunters’ fears, change was not an obstruction to continued hunting opportunity (Kanstrup
2015). On the contrary, it is believed that the valuable public image of hunters visibly seen to be reducing the dispersal of a recognized contaminant poison (i.e. lead) into the environment has been of paramount importance for the long-term political sustainability of hunting (Kanstrup et al.
2018).
"It is well documented that the effective transition to non-toxic ammunition quickly reduces the level of poisoning in wild birds. However, it is easy to ignore lead ammunition’s toxic legacy and the long-term persistence of lead shot in ecosystems. These historical residues constitute a persistent and significant toxic threat to wildlife and the reputation of hunting. The single take-home lesson from the Danish and other experiences is that it takes the initiative of active conservationist groups and a responsible public authority with statutory powers to change mindsets in the wider public interest, no matter how unpopular, and to encourage all affected stakeholders to support the process in resolving this major environmental problem.
"Lessons learned from the Danish process could be instructive to other countries facing the same challenge at different stages of the process, but also to Denmark in further reducing the adverse environmental footprints of recreational hunting and thereby enhancing its long-term sustainability."
