Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda on Friday vetoed legislative amendments adopted by the Seimas last week, which allow the use of night sights in hunting.
Last week, 69 MPs voted in favour of allowing the use of night sights when hunting wild boar, fox, mongoose, raccoon, mink, nutria, and muskrat. To override the president’s veto, 71 votes are needed.
According to a statement released by the President’s Office, Nausėda believes that “this law contradicts the fundamental principle of lawmaking – expediency, which means that a draft law should be prepared and adopted only if the objectives pursued cannot be achieved by any other means”.
“Moreover, the law adopted by the parliament authorises the use of night sights in a very broad manner. This means that […] the law does not contain any conditions restricting the use of night sights,” the statement reads.
According to the president, the legalisation of night sights in hunting would make it very difficult in practice to ensure control over the use of such tools.
Advocates of the legalisation of night sights in hunting argue that it would contribute to a more effective enforcement of the principles of animal welfare by ensuring that animals are shot in one shot and not injured.
Environmental activists argue, however, that the legalisation creates a breeding ground for poaching, as there is no practical way of ensuring that night sights would be used to hunt only those animals specified in the law.
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