Holland: Changes to Hunting Laws Planned
The Dutch governing parties VVD and PvdA are presenting a proposal to amend hunting laws this Monday.
Until now, hobby hunters were required to submit a plan before recreational hunting, describing how many animals of which species were to be shot.
«Hobby hunters risk spending more time sitting behind a desk than walking through the forest,» said VVD Member of Parliament Rudmer Heerema, describing the situation this had created. Under the new law, this estimate requirement will be dropped; however, hobby hunters will first be required to reach an agreement with nature conservation organisations on how hunting is to be conducted. These measures are intended to reduce the bureaucracy surrounding recreational hunting. A large majority of the Second Chamber supports these plans, as the University of Münster reports.
If the legislative initiative is adopted, nature and animal welfare organisations will in future monitor whether hunting is being carried out responsibly. «By giving these organisations and animal welfare bodies a vote, we ensure that the interests of nature always come first,» explained PvdA Member of Parliament Henk Leenders.
The PvdA had already addressed the issue of recreational hunting in its 2012 party manifesto, where it had pledged to campaign for the abolition of «pleasure hunting.» The party has now abandoned this position. Instead, it has worked together with the VVD to develop the current legislative amendment. «For us, banning recreational hunting was a means, not an end in itself. With our legislative change, we are ensuring that hunting is carried out responsibly. This way we are providing transparency. Nature and animal welfare will be given an important voice. Maintaining the necessary balance in nature — that is what my party is about,» Leenders commented on the change of course.
The PvdA’s new direction now works against Marianne Thieme of the Animal Rights Party Partij voor de Dieren. She is presenting the Second Chamber on Monday with a legislative initiative to ban «hobby hunting without justification.» Since so far only the PVV, SP and GroenLinks show interest in supporting it, the legislative initiative will likely fail. Thieme had hoped for the initiative's success by counting on the PvdA's approval, based on statements in their 2012 party platform. VVD member of parliament Rudmer Heerema showed little enthusiasm for Thieme's draft. A complete hunting ban would eliminate the extensive volunteer work that hobby hunters contribute to nature.
The Royal Dutch Hunters' Association (Koninklijke Nederlandse Jagersvereniging) expressed delight at the planned legislative change. Hobby hunters would finally be shown the trust they deserve, said Laurens Hoedemaker, director of the hunters' association, in a pleased statement to Radio 1. The new regulation would not be a problem. They had long been working together with nature conservation organizations. “We are already working together and we all strive for the same thing: a beautiful, well-balanced nature in the Netherlands,” Hoedemaker summarized the situation.
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