Overview
- Landesbauernverband president Henrik Wendorff called beaver meat a high‑quality food and farm groups argued for using meat and pelts from legally removed animals, including proposals to offer it in restaurants.
- Brandenburg plans to revise its beaver regulation before it expires in mid‑March 2026, with the SPD‑BSW coalition committed to exploring population management, though stakeholder consultations have not begun.
- Under German law and the EU Habitats Directive the species is strictly protected, with removals allowed only by permit in exceptional cases; about 200 animals are reportedly shot each year where infrastructure or serious damage is at issue, with private use allowed but sales barred.
- The state environment office estimates 4,000 to 4,200 beavers in Brandenburg, with authorities citing risks along the Oder and in the Spreewald and reporting increased maintenance costs for water and soil associations (€695,000 in state funds in 2023 and €389,000 in 2024 toward higher total expenses).
- Conservation groups NABU and BUND oppose lowering protection, urge preventive measures such as drain pipes in dams and buffer strips, and note the state cannot change EU status, as Federal Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer has separately called for an EU‑level review.