Hunters in politics: an invisible network?
“Do you go hunting?” activists are once again asking MPs in the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish parliament, where on 20 November the exhibition “Saint Hubert, Patron of Hunters” was opened. Activists are seizing the occasion to remind members of parliament of their appeal to disclose any membership in the Polish Hunting Association (Polski Związek Łowiecki, PZŁ) – a nationwide hunting organisation established by law which manages hunting and wild animals in Poland.
The exhibition in the Sejm of the Republic of Poland is held under the patronage of the chair of the parliamentary Committee on Environmental Protection, Natural Resources and Forestry, MP Urszula Pasławska – herself an active hunter. Civil society organisations point out that the event is taking place at a time when there is still a lack of transparency regarding politicians’ involvement in hunting structures.
On 3 November the Polish environmental organisation “Źródła” sent a question about membership in PZŁ to members of the Sejm. 175 parliamentarians (around 40%) replied and declared that they do not hunt.
Only two MPs admitted to being members of PZŁ. One person refused to answer, and as many as 282 parliamentarians did not react to the question at all. Which politicians hunt can be checked on the website czypolujesz.pl.
“This is public information, not a private matter”
The Polish Hunting Association manages assets belonging to the State Treasury – namely wild-living animals. Since 3 November we have asked parliamentarians three times to disclose whether they are members of PZŁ. We believe this information should be public,
says Krzysztof Wychowałek from Ośrodek Działań Ekologicznych “Źródła”.
The organisations stress that hunters exert real influence on nature conservation policy and public safety, and that the lack of openness about membership in PZŁ makes public scrutiny more difficult.
Hunters and politics: blocking reform?
Representatives of the organisations recall that in the current term of the Sejm, key initiatives concerning hunting have been rejected or blocked:
- On 9 January 2025 the Sejm rejected at first reading a bill to amend the Act on Weapons and Ammunition, which would have introduced mandatory periodic examinations for hunters.
- In March 2025 the PSL party attempted to amend hunting law so as to remove supervision of PZŁ from the Ministry of Climate and Environment. The proposal fell after broad public opposition.
Hunters form an invisible network in politics that prevents any reform of hunting. Despite huge public support for measures such as mandatory regular examinations or a ban on hunting all birds, they cannot be introduced. What enjoys political support instead are hunting privileges,
says Radosław Ślusarczyk from the organisation “Workshop for All Beings”.
Scandals in PZŁ: a growing list of irregularities
Activists point out that recent years have brought a series of scandals revealing the lack of credibility of PZŁ:
- At the beginning of the year, the media revealed that in Ostrołęka several hundred people had obtained hunting licences without taking part in the required training courses.
- In August this year, a 60-year-old man was killed outside his home; a minor is reported to have taken part in the hunt.
- In November the television channel Polsat revealed that hunters were making money by enabling people without firearms licences to take part in hunts.
An appeal to voters: ask your MPs
The organisations emphasise that these cases show there is no effective control over how hunting is actually practiced in Poland.
The Polish Hunting Association does not want transparency about who hunts in Poland and how that hunting is carried out. On the one hand, as many as three ministries have recently granted honorary patronage to the nationwide Hubertus celebrations organised by PZŁ. On the other hand, politicians do not admit to belonging to this organisation. That is very telling.I encourage all voters to ask the members of parliament from their constituency whether they hunt. You can send an email or ask the question on social media, on politicians’ profiles. This is important for the quality of public life – and for the safety of us all,
says Iza Kadłucka from the coalition Niech Żyją!.
