On 19 May, Minister for Agriculture Armands Krauze met representatives of the Latvian Hunters' Union and the Latvian Hunters' Association to discuss the next steps in cooperation to reduce the damage caused by the red deer population.
Armands Krauze: “The growth of the red deer population over the past decade has had a significant impact on both the agricultural and forestry sectors, as well as on society as a whole. Deer are damaging young stands on a massive scale, eating the shoots of pines and spruces and destroying sowings and crops, causing considerable financial losses. The number of road traffic accidents is likewise linked to the growth of the animal population. The problem cannot be solved unilaterally, and so during the meeting we agreed on cooperation mechanisms that would make it possible to reduce the damage caused by red deer in good time and without unnecessary bureaucracy. Only sensible population control and cooperation between all parties will ensure a balance between nature, agriculture and forestry.”
During the meeting, both sides agreed that the solution best suited to the situation is not amendments to Cabinet of Ministers regulations, but rather meaningful solutions for regulating animal populations developed jointly by the Ministry of Agriculture (ZM) and non-governmental organisations, which could be put in place in time for the start of this year's hunting season.
The aim of the cooperation is to reduce the damage caused by red deer and to strengthen dialogue on the future development of hunting, assessing the regulation of animal populations comprehensively. Among other things, the density of the red deer population is to be returned gradually, over a number of years and taking into account changes in their distribution across Latvia, to the 2010 level, when damage was at a scale that did not threaten the financial stability of foresters and farmers.
The planned measures will be set out in a memorandum of cooperation between ZM and non-governmental organisations representing hunters, forest owners and farmers.