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I know many of us appreciate good value cycling and other outdoor kit from Decathlon (most of may favourite cycling base layers are from there), but before your next purchase you might want to take a look at this.
"Our hunting engineers designed this developed this powerful, consistent cartridge, specially adapted for thrush hunting. This cartridge performs at both medium and long range and has a consistent spread. This makes it the ideal cartridge for hunting thrush, songbirds, redwing, fieldfare, and mistle thrush."
Change.org petition here.
I thought you were ment to use yogurt.
So you have good warm clothing, yogurt free sex and don't get woken up by the dawn chorus.
Which bit are you objecting to, Made in Chine?
Are "thrush, songbirds, redwing, fieldfare, and mistle thrush" endangered or is this just a "people enjoy an activity I dont and it should be banned" petition?
What is the point of killing small birds? Just mindless killing?
I know there is a weird delicacy in France (ortolan) but really, they're just blatted for fun.
On that basis I'm for banning it.
but really, they’re just blatted for fun.
Are you a vegan? Etc
I've replied to this several times now and deleted it, but I rather think the root problem here - assuming there is one, I've no idea - isn't Decathlon. Different cultures have different ideas of what is acceptable, In the US you can buy assault rifles in Wal-Mart and no-one is lobbying them not to sell them or blaming them for mass shootings.
If this is a problematic issue then we could and should raise it in European Parliament in order to suggest legislating against... er, oh, wait, yeah.
What is the point of killing small birds? ... I know there is a weird delicacy in France
You're going to have a lot of delicacy left after hitting it in the beak with a shotgun cartridge.
Redwing and Fieldfare are protected species in England. I doubt a company as big as Decathlon would deliberately advertise a product for unlawful use.
Decathlon UK don't actually seem to have any stock of these anywhere, they aren't linked to from their content pages and they don't come up in the site search. So I suspect this is just a website glitch.
Harsh crowd tonight. I can't imagine Decathlon makes much money selling cartridges to kill small birds, so it's possible that they might be dissuaded from doing so if there's enough pressure.
In the US you can buy assault rifles in Wal-Mart and no-one is lobbying them not to sell them or blaming them for mass shootings.
https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-walmart-guns-pressure/walmart-faces-pressure-to-stop-gun-sales-after-latest-u-s-mass-shootings-idUKKCN1UV22X "Years of public pressure led Walmart, the largest U.S arms retailer, to end assault rifle sales in 2015"
Decathlon UK don’t actually seem to have any stock of these anywhere
The petition is to stop them selling them in France (or wherever).
The petition is to stop them selling them in France (or wherever).
The petition asks people to contact Decathlon UK and makes no mention of France.
Harsh crowd tonight.
"Tonight"?
I can’t imagine Decathlon makes much money selling cartridges to kill small birds, so it’s possible that they might be dissuaded from doing so if there’s enough pressure.
It's possible that they might. And that will achieve what, exactly? Do we think they're the only company in mainland Europe selling ammo?
“Years of public pressure led Walmart, the largest U.S arms retailer, to end assault rifle sales in 2015”
I was not aware of that. Cheerfully withdrawn, thanks for the correction.
This is the same point as above though. Wal-Mart no longer sells assault rifles (specifically, it still sells other guns and according to that article it refused to revise its policy after a mass shooting in a Wal-Mart store ), but it's not like that made any difference to anything other than their profits. You're not going to reduce murder by lobbying supermarkets.
“Years of public pressure led Walmart, the largest U.S arms retailer, to end assault rifle sales in 2015”
Perfect example of customer pressure working. I’m in with this one… signed.
Edit: brands don’t stop at national borders… pressure from UK customers about operations in France is entirely valid
the reason to avoid decathlon is their price gouging tactics during coronavirus. Their shops were shut so you couldn't buy in store (not their fault, I completely agree) - but realising the popularity of their stuff they removed free postage, and appeared to reduce the size of stuff you could c&c at asda - my stuff even arrived in a box saying 'free postage over £30', when I spent a chunk more than that. The postage wasn't even a reasonable amount - £7 for a skateboard.
the costs of shipping stuff obviously didn't rise during coronavirus, this is just them taking advantage of the situation and ripping folks off
Different cultures have different ideas of what is acceptable
But in this case, many of the bird species named as targeted by the product are migratory. The treatment of a migratory population in one nation can have a wider impact on conservation efforts elsewhere. So there's that.
I do think it's sad that enough people specifically want to target these bird species, enough to market a specific cartridge for it.
Don't think I'll let a company selling a legal product in another country stop me buying good quality cheap gear.
You could see this as someone else problem, or sign the petition to give Decathlon an idea about the strength of feeling in the UK. It’s quicker to sign the petition than taking the time to post about not caring, or not seeing it as your concern as a shopper. Whatever sits well with you.
The petition asks people to contact Decathlon UK and makes no mention of France.
Despite what the petition might say, Decathlon is a French company. There is no such thing as "Decathlon UK" to the best of my knowledge.
The petition lists a .co.uk URL so one of two things will happen, assuming anything at all happens:
1) The .co.uk site will kick it over the Channel to head office or
2) The .co.uk site will go "what are you bothering us about this for, we don't sell them?"
The last review on that page is six months old. It's not searchable from the front page. It is - obviously - not something you can buy online in the UK outside of the Dark Web. If Decathlon are "actively promoting and profiting from the killing" then they're doing a pretty poor job of it.
And the current version of the EU Birds Directive is 2009.
The UK URL is useful, because it describes the product in English.
For French speakers:
The treatment of a migratory population in one nation can have a wider impact on conservation efforts elsewhere. So there’s that.
There is and I agree. My point was rather that if it is a problem then it needs legislating against, not picking on one random retailer amongst many.
I do think it’s sad that enough people specifically want to target these bird species, enough to market a specific cartridge for it.
I wholeheartedly agree, I didn't know this a thing that existed as a 'sport' until this thread. But who am I to demand that others in different cultures conform to my sensibilities? We all know how popular "preachy vegans" are.
I also think it's sad that this time last year we could have actively done something about it.
Doubt we could have done much about it, if you are suggesting our government forcing something from above at the EU level… many EU countries would want to keep their exceptions for this kind of stuff… France isn’t nearly the worst culprit when it comes to shooting small migrant birds… plenty of other countries are for more into it, Malta springs straight to mind. As an EU member, we had to persuade other EU states to jointly adopt protection measures… we couldn’t force them on them. Anyway, customer pressure often leads the way and legislation follows behind… no campaign should sit back and wait for the law to be changed if they want things to happen. Consumers do have power.
You could see this as someone else problem, or sign the petition to give Decathlon an idea about the strength of feeling in the UK.
I want you to be correct, I really do.
But really, what's the argument here? We don't like that a product that they don't even sell in this country is being sold in other countries where it's both legal and culturally normal? Doubly so given that we've spent the last four years telling the EU exactly what we think of them, do you really expect we have any goodwill left here? You've seen that "behold my field..." meme, yes?
That's the fundamental problem with this goddamn country, we've got a massively over-inflated sense of our own importance. It's the attitude that gave us brexit, "they need us more than we need them." By this time next year I wouldn't be at all surprised if Decathlon had decided that we were a) too expensive to deal with any more and b) too much of an arrogant pain in the arse, then given a Gallic shrug, shut all the stores and pulled out of the UK market.
The point is that brands do respond to negative attention… and pressure on them to not sell products that consumers find questionable. If we decide that we all live in silos, and only challenge brands for what they do in our own countries, well… you can follow that logical route to its obvious conclusions yourself…
Yes, and I do take your point and I agree with it. But they aren't selling those products to us, they're selling them to consumers who don't find them questionable. Plenty of countries routinely eat horse meat though it's generally considered unpalatable (sorry) here.
Unfortunately we kinda do now live in a silo of our own creation. We live in a soggy little island and fairly recently threw away what was left of our global influence because something something brown people buses.
Bastards shit on the bonnet of my M5. ****-em give-em both barrels.
Nobody likes thrush in the bush!
That seems like odd behaviour from an outdoor pursuits equipment and apparel company. Were you parked across two bays or something?
If you're lucky, the petition will result in the product description on the website just getting amended to be less specific about what it's designed for.
But the most likely outcome is that somewhere in a decathlon corner office, a frenchman shrugs.
I'm all for trying to change things for the better - but one has to ask what you're hoping to achieve here? If you think a small number of brits can change the behavior of ANY number of French people, let alone the demographic of French people that goes out hunting songbirds for fun...... well: I admire your optimism.
I don’t like it but have to agree this seems a fairly pointless thing to get angry about. They don’t sell this product in the UK, and nothing in France will change as a result of this petition.
In a seemingly divided world ravaged by corona virus, with climate change looming and the risk of mutually assured nuclear annihilation only a mistweet away here we have people giving a **** about what a shop in France may or may not sell to people who maybe do something legal but unpleasant with it in another country.
Of all the things wrong with Decathlon, France and even the world this is the one you go out to bat for?
But really, what’s the argument here? We don’t like that a product that they don’t even sell in this country is being sold in other countries where it’s both legal and culturally normal?
Just because an activity is legal and culturally normal it does not mean most people in that country support it. It is also perfectly valid to petition a multi national company for activities done in a country different to yours. I really cannot understand your objection.
Exactly; plenty of people object to bull fighting from outside Spain.
That’s a very specific use for a cartridge. Does that mean you can shoot it at baby rabbits etc and it won’t harm them ?
Pointless.
They are selling a cartridge of 29 grams of no. 8 shot.
Available from any shotgun ammunition seller, and used by thousands of shooters in the UK every weekend when they go clay pigeon shooting.
There is no such thing as “Decathlon UK” to the best of my knowledge.
"Decathlon.co.uk is operated by Decathlon UK Limited trading as Decathlon (we, us and our). We are a limited company, registered in England. Our registered company number is 03140144, and our registered office is at Canada Water Retail Park, Surrey Quays Road, London, SE16 2XU. Our VAT registration number is GB679262296."
Whilst the directors/owner are French and Italian Decathlon UK Limited is not owned by Decathlon France according to Companies House.
Maybe we could use these to kill cats
poah
Member
Maybe we could use these to kill catsPosted 5 minutes ago
😃
Signed and shared, thanks.
It's a shitty thing to profit from. Also weren't people going bat shit about giro/camelback owners funding the NRA? This is the same, nowt wrong with using your spending choices to try and change the behaviour of organisations and incrementally societal and legal gubbins. Signed.
It's not the same though, is it? If you're funding a lobbying organisation it's quite easy to be accused of promoting something. Or at least enabling others to promote it on your behalf. Selling a sporting product as part of vast range of sporting products isn't really promoting something. You could say enabling maybe, but by that token every neighbourhood newsagent is promoting smoking. Every car manufacturer is promoting road death by selling cars that go above 70mph.
The petition starts off with a big giant strawman. Hysterical nonsense for the permanently outraged.
Also weren’t people going bat shit about giro/camelback owners funding the NRA?
I was going to say exactly he same thing!!
But who am I to demand that others in different cultures conform to my sensibilities? We all know how popular “preachy vegans” are.
Presumably you are also fine with the killing of endangered wild animals for use in 'traditional medicine'.
but by that token every neighbourhood newsagent is promoting smoking.
They were. That is why cigarettes in shops now have to be kept in locked cabinets with no advertising or even mention of the product.
Whilst the directors/owner are French and Italian Decathlon UK Limited is not owned by Decathlon France according to Companies House.
So the French managers at my local store are coincidence. 🤔
This does seem a pretty pointless petition. If the advert made no reference to killing baby robins and just let the baby robin shooters figure out which Decathlon cartridges would do the job, no one would have noticed.
So I'll await the petition to try and get Decathlon to stop selling fishing tackle next.
Wow, where to start with this. Well I can start by saying I'm not into blood sports. BUT - what is the difference between shooting small animals and shooting big ones? One would assume that the French have legislation protecting endangered creatures, so like anything else it is up to the shooter to only shoot what is allowed. So this website listing does not violate that. And what about fishing? Is that okay? It's still killing small animals.
Also weren’t people going bat shit about giro/camelback owners funding the NRA? This is the same
It's nowhere near the same. The NRA exist to lobby against the control of guns, particularly offensive anti-personnel weapons. It has little to do with sport shooters or hunters, in fact a lot of those people are vehemently anti-NRA because it makes them look like nutters. The Decathlon listing is sporting equipment, not that different to fishing tackle in my view.
Now, if you want to protest blood sports or shooting in general that is a legitimate position in my view and is something that you need to petition government about. But good luck getting the French govt to listen to you. You might've had a route through the EU govt but that's out of the window now.
Presumably you are also fine with the killing of endangered wild animals for use in ‘traditional medicine’.
That's absurd extrapolation. You can be okay with killing non endangered species but against killing endangered ones, for very obvious reasons.
At least fishing is a little more fair as there's a chance the fisherman would die of boredom before catching anything.
I'd suggest mols you have a look at the impact of trapping and shooting in the med and eastern Europe on migratory birds. It's one of the big factors, alongside habitat loss, driving some species close to extinction.