Well, the pros and cons of hunting in France is an issue which surely is best debated by the French, is that not so? So why is the EU trying to overstep its mandate in this way? Am I the only person left who remembers the principle of subsidarity?

It was the same thing when Sweden instituted licence hunting of wolves a few years back: a massive wall of whine from EU representatives from countries which have zero wolves! The wolf debate is infected enough here at home without Brussels weighing in on what's not their business. Now that I think of it, it was the eurocrats who banned our squirrel hunting as well. For no good reason I might add, as the squirrel is very abundant in Sweden. But I suppose they were thought to be too cute and cuddly to be hunted.

Seems the Wood pigeon is "Least Concern" species as well. It's widely hunted in Sweden too. And the taste is quite exquisite. Hunting of the Stock dove is however banned, as the population has shrunk during the last half a century due to changes in land use patterns. The hunting of the Eurasian collared dove is banned as well.

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.