Creatures - Updated rules on wolf hunting leave shepherds disheartened.
Farmers who raise sheep are unhappy with the outcome of a meeting between environmental ministers from the federal government and the states in Bad Dürkheim, Rhineland-Palatinate. During the gathering, discussions were held regarding the control of wolves. The ministers decided that a temporary amendment to a rule allowing for a swift cull of wolves after they damage sheep, which was halted in court in Lower Saxony, should be made by the federal government. The Association for the Promotion of German Sheep Breeding (FDS) made this announcement on Friday night.
At the end of 2023, the Ministerial Conference decided to implement a quick shooting regulation for regions with severe wolf damage. In some cases, no DNA analysis is necessary to identify an individual wolf. However, when this method was first utilized in Lower Saxony, the Higher Administrative Court in Lüneburg ruled that shooting a wolf in the Hannover area is illegal.
The central guidelines for such shootings will be revised by August, according to the decision made at the meeting. The FDS deemed these plans inadequate and not up to their expectations. "We are extremely disappointed and shocked by the outcome," said FDS Chairman Wendelin Schmücker.
The FDS called for a complete overhaul of the Federal Nature Conservation Act and a practical, efficient approach to managing wolf populations in Germany to secure the continuation of the pastoral sector and the protection of native animal species. "The emotional and physical suffering of sheep farmers and their livestock is being overlooked, which is not resolved by this decision. The situation is urgent, especially in light of the dramatic increase in livestock attacks in the previous year."
The FDS urged that the experimentation with wolves and herd protection be immediately ceased, and instead, the wolves be hunted. "An aggressive wolf regulation is necessary to preserve the pastoral industry in Germany," Schmücker remarked.
"The flexibility allowed by European nature conservation law, which countries like France, Sweden, and Finland use to conduct a protective hunt for the safety of sheep, must also be utilized in Germany," he argued.
