Environment ministers discuss faster shooting of wolves
At their autumn conference in Münster, Westphalia, the federal and state environment ministers want to discuss a uniform nationwide approach to wolves with behavioral problems. There are three items on the agenda for the two-day meeting, which begins this Thursday. A proposal by Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) for faster shooting of individual wolves in Germany is to be discussed. According to her ministry, this does not require any changes to federal laws. The federal states could then implement the shooting rules with or without their own legal ordinances. This would be possible in a timely manner.
Lemke's proposal from mid-October provides for the federal states to define certain regions with increased wolf predation. If a wolf has overcome protective measures such as a fence and killed a grazing animal, it should be allowed to be shot for 21 days by special permit - within a radius of 1000 meters around the pasture. Unlike in the past, it will not be necessary to wait for a DNA analysis. Until now, genetic examinations based on bite and feeding marks have been considered necessary to allow shooting. The farmers' association criticized Lemke's proposal as completely inadequate.
Criticism also came from individual federal states. According to Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's Agriculture and Environment Minister Till Backhaus (SPD), Lemke's proposals are too vague to stand up in court. Immediately before the conference, he called for nationwide regulations on how to deal with wolves that have climbed over protective fences and killed livestock. In his view, an amendment to the Federal Nature Conservation Act or a federal wolf ordinance would be needed to ensure a uniform and EU-compliant approach.
North Rhine-Westphalia's Environment Minister Oliver Krischer (Greens), on the other hand, welcomed Lemke's proposals. "We are dealing with individual animals that are very adept at overcoming herd protection measures. We have to do something about this in order to maintain acceptance of the wolf as a whole," said Krischer. North Rhine-Westphalia is chairing the conference. According to the association, around 100 farmers from the region plan to demonstrate outside the conference venue in Münster on Thursday afternoon and discuss their demands with NRW Minister Krischer. These include better protection of grazing livestock from wolf predation.
At the upcoming environmental policy conference in Münster, the ministers will also discuss the need for harmonized wolf management strategies across Germany. Further, in response to criticism, Lemke might consider incorporating stricter regulations into her proposal to ensure compliance with EU laws.
Source: www.dpa.com
