The Bavarian Hunting Association (BJV) has not yet calmed down. This was shown on Saturday at the State Hunters Day in Weiden in the Upper Palatinate. There have been disputes within the association for years, and at times there was a threat of a split. Now, due to a short-term court order, the general meeting was held privately, which is why delegates and guests who had come specially had to wait outside.
District group chairmen were allowed to take part, but not all delegates who were originally invited. Hunting Minister Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters) offered to act as a mediator. According to the BJV, the chairman of the Memmingen district group, Andreas Ruepp, had quickly requested from the Munich I regional court that the general meeting had to take place in a non-public manner. Unlike usual, delegates, guests and journalists were not allowed to take part. Failure to do so could result in a fine of up to 250,000 euros or imprisonment for up to six months.
Andreas Ruepp, chairman of the Memmingen district group of the Bavarian Hunting Association, obtained the decision that visitors had to stay outside.
(Photo: Armin Weigel/dpa)
Specifically, Ruepp told the German Press Agency, his aim was to ensure that the event was not shown without restrictions over the Internet via a live stream. Ruepp justified this in his application to the court by saying that the BJV’s budget, which includes, among other things, personnel costs, should be discussed in the general meeting. Discussing them publicly would violate the personal rights of affected employees.
Ruepp said his express request was not that delegates, guests and journalists be excluded from the general meeting. It would also have been okay for him if members could have accessed a live stream using a password – but not everyone.
The BJV presidium interpreted the application more strictly than he requested. BJV President Ernst Weidenbusch, on the other hand, said that the association did not want to take the risk of a fine. From the association’s perspective, the regional court left room for interpretation in its interim injunction, so that the association – also in view of the short time – interpreted the order strictly to be on the safe side. The BJV lodged an objection against the order at the regional court on Friday, but it was no longer processed.
There was discontent among the delegates, who had come from all parts of Bavaria, about the exclusion from the general meeting, which had only been announced that morning. If she had known this beforehand, she would not have gone to Weiden in the first place, said one delegate. The former CSU state parliament member Ernst Weidenbusch was elected BJV president in 2020. Ruepp is one of his harshest critics. At the State Hunters’ Day in Hof a year ago, a district group sought to have Weidenbusch voted out, but he was then confirmed in office. The next regular election is scheduled for 2025.
Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger (FW) called on the hunting association to be united, but also found time for a conversation with the Bavarian hunting queen Felizitas Schauer from Bad Wörishofen, who is holding the collared pygmy falcon Tiana in her hand.
(Photo: Armin Weigel/dpa)
In the non-public meeting, the presidium with Weidenbusch at the top was discharged with 76 percent of the votes, 19 percent voted against and five percent abstained, as a spokeswoman announced. The budget with a volume of 7.5 million euros was approved by 74 percent of those entitled to vote, with 17 percent voting against and nine percent abstaining.
Hunting Minister Aiwanger called on the association to remain united. The BJV should represent the interests of hunting and bury the hatchet instead of making life difficult for each other, he said to applause from the audience. He offered to sit down at a round table with the various parties. “And then there’s peace!”
In terms of content, Aiwanger called, among other things, for a more restrictive approach to wolves, whose conservation status is now favorable, which the federal government must recognize. In addition, a new otter regulation is in the works, because otters are now plundering the waters. Every animal has its right to exist, said Aiwanger. But if the inventory gets out of hand, you have to intervene.
Another topic at the conference was, among other things, proof of marksmanship, which, according to the Ministry of Economics, is not required by hunting law in Bavaria. Such mandatory proof exists in six of 16 federal states. The BJV is planning a voluntary marksmanship certificate in order to be able to confirm the shooting skills of hunters. It’s about ensuring that an animal is killed safely immediately and not just injured, said a spokeswoman. Vice President Roland Weigert said: “We consciously rely on voluntariness and a sense of responsibility. Because we are certain: our hunters hunt in a way that is fair, animal welfare-compliant and avoids animal suffering.”