Overview

• The Bayerischer Jagdverband has proposed repealing the 'Wald vor Wild' safeguard introduced in 2005, arguing it conflicts with Article 20a of the German Basic Law by privileging timber over animal welfare.
• President Ernst Weidenbusch contends that the existing rule prioritizes profit instead of wildlife protection and calls for greater decision-making power for hunters and forest owners.
• Forestry Minister Michaela Kaniber and the Bund Naturschutz warn that abandoning the principle would hamper the growth of climate-resilient mixed forests essential for long-term ecosystem balance.
• The initiative is linked to a broader hunting law reform under the Economic Ministry, which includes plans to abolish state-imposed roe deer culling quotas.
• The Jagdverband also disputes current state culling recommendations and the narrow scope of forest damage assessments, demanding statutory standards for forestry reports.