Lead is common in ammunition used for hunting and sports shooting, as well as fishing equipment. According to veterinarian Madis Leivits, traces of lead can get into game meat during hunting and pose a threat to human and wildlife well-being, and the environment.

"When hunting goes on, the ammunition contaminates the meat of the hunted animal, and a significant portion actually reaches the dinner table," Leivits said. "If it's a trophy animal, whose carcass we don't consume ourselves, or the area around the bullet entry wound, which is unsightly and contaminated, we don't put that on our table. We either leave it in the forest, feed it to our dog, or turn it into a minced meat product; however, in reality, we know full well that this lead can also end up on our own table."

A ban on the use and carrying of lead shot in wetlands and near bodies of water took effect two years ago. Lead ammunition had already been prohibited in waterfowl hunting ten years earlier.

According to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), about 100,000 tons of lead enter the EU's environment yearly. Of this, 14 percent comes from hunting, 7 percent from fishing, and 80 percent from sports shooting.

The Ministry of Culture, which oversees sports in Estonia, submitted its position to the Ministry of Social Affairs after consulting with sport fishing and shooting representatives. They found limiting lead ammunition unreasonable due to security concerns and the lack of equivalent alternatives.

Endrik Raun, board member of both the Estonian hunters' society (Eesti jahimeeste selts) and the Estonian sports shooting association (Eesti jahispordi liit), said the European Commission initiative is necessary and rational, but now is bad timing for such restrictions. There are also many loose ends to tie up, he said.

"On one fringe of Europe, there is a full-scale war going on, and every day we hear that Europe is starting to run short of ammunition. In this light, we are planning to change our laws, want to tighten the conditions at shooting ranges, to start switching ammunition in hunting, and so on. We want to force weapon and ammunition manufacturers to move on to new alternatives," Raun said. "It is clear that the preparatory work has been poor, and these issues, the conditions, and the alternatives need to be reviewed much more thoroughly. This is very long work and cannot be done in a few months."

However, the animal protection organization Loomus finds the Ministry of Culture's position incomprehensible. Loomus communication manager Farištamo Eller said that suitable alternatives to lead ammunition exist, so there is no need to delay.

Eller said: "No hobby justifies the poisoning of the living environment. The EU has been moving toward a complete ban on this use of lead for at least 20 years, and the advent of the full ban is well-known. This means that, in reality, there has been quite a long time to prepare for it."

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