Some farmers will have to purchase new guns under an EU legislative proposal which will see lead ammunition banned on wetlands across Europe.

Ireland is defined as a wetland and the switch from lead shot is expected to see Irish farmers having to decommission their guns and buy new ones or put their guns through a costly conversion process.

A spokesperson for the Department of Tourism, Gaeltacht, Culture, Media and Sport told the Irish Farmers Journal that should the proposal become law, it “would make provision for a lead-in time to facilitate the making of arrangements to source alternatives to lead shot”.

Where wetlands exceed 20% of land, like Ireland, there will be a 36-month transition period, which will allow gun owners change their guns.

“The Department is aware that the ban on using lead in gunshot would provide a range of challenges to new practices and in some cases transition to new guns/gunshot for a number of gun owners in Ireland, including farmers and hunters.

“The Department made a number of submissions to the REACH Committee suggesting a more reasonable lead-in time of five to seven years to enable hunters and farmers and other stakeholders in the country to make the necessary arrangements.

“The Department will be working with both hunting and farming organisations in the coming period on implementation of the draft Regulation should it become law,” a Department spokesperson said.

The draft law will now be sent to the Council and European Parliament for scrutiny for a period of three months.