New hunting law: dispute over forest protection and hunting rights in the state parliament!

New hunting law: dispute over forest protection and hunting rights in the state parliament!

Today, July 3, 2025, the Rhineland-Palatinate state parliament is all about a new state hunting law. The eagerly awaited vote begins at 9:30 a.m., which for many could be a groundbreaking step in hunting and environmental policy. After the traffic light groups agreed on the final version last week, the approval of the plenary session is now required to get the bill off the ground. But the much-discussed draft also foresees headwinds from hunters, who express concerns about the planned regulations.

The new draft law has the ambitious goal of supporting forest regeneration and thus addressing one of the most pressing problems of our time - climate change. Sabine Yacoub, the state chairwoman of BUND Rhineland-Palatinate, emphasizes the importance of the regulations, even if she would like to make adjustments. Above all, strengthening the rights of landowners and hunting rights holders, including a special right of termination in the event of high game populations, is considered necessary. Those too APPLICANT is positive about the changes that are intended to promote natural forest development.

Protective measures and changes to hunting law

The minister sets out a clearly defined goal: the protection of the regrowing forest in the face of urgent global warming. Close cooperation between authorities, hunters, forest owners and foresters is intended to ensure that the new law sustainably strengthens animal, nature and species protection as well as landscape management. For this purpose, a binding minimum shooting plan will be established if there is a significant risk to the forest, and hunting dog training on live ducks will be banned in the future. The Ministry assumes that the draft law will strengthen the role of hunters in society, while at the same time promoting important biodiversity and removing invasive species in an unbureaucratic manner.

A central point of the new law is the ban on rifle ammunition containing lead, with a transition period of five years being granted. Digitalization and the reduction of bureaucratic hurdles are also seen as an important component. The aim is to make hunting more modern and attractive.

Political resistance and future developments

At the political level, the vote on the AfD parliamentary group's request for a roll-call vote could cause additional tension. This has already announced that it intends to take action against the changes “by all legal means”. A change to the rules of procedure will also be put to the vote, which will allow the years of representatives and not the age of the president to be decided. In addition, in future it will be sufficient to remove a committee chair from a simple majority, whereas previously a two-thirds majority was required.

The vote on the new hunting law is likely to have far-reaching consequences for the future of forest and game management in Rhineland-Palatinate. Considering how this regulation can affect climate change and hunting practices definitely remains an exciting topic for the public and political actors in the country.