Landowners get right to refuse hunting access
Landowners have been told they have the right to refuse access to hunters, after the European Court for Human Rights (ECHR) stepped in and told the German government they must change the domestic rules.
The court also on Tuesday awarded a man €5,000 in damages for having had hunters on his land in contravention of his wishes.
German landowners have until now had no option of banning hunting on their land. They have automatically been members of a hunting cooperative meaning that they must accommodate the activity regardless of how much land they own or whether it is classed as private.
The complainant, from the rural town of Stutensee in Baden-Württemberg, felt that having people hunting on his 75-acres of land against his beliefs violated his fundamental rights.
The ECHR decided that the man's basic rights had been breached and has passed the case back to the German authorities. They cannot appeal the decision but must work out how to change the current regulations.
DPA/The local/jcw
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The court also on Tuesday awarded a man €5,000 in damages for having had hunters on his land in contravention of his wishes.
German landowners have until now had no option of banning hunting on their land. They have automatically been members of a hunting cooperative meaning that they must accommodate the activity regardless of how much land they own or whether it is classed as private.
The complainant, from the rural town of Stutensee in Baden-Württemberg, felt that having people hunting on his 75-acres of land against his beliefs violated his fundamental rights.
The ECHR decided that the man's basic rights had been breached and has passed the case back to the German authorities. They cannot appeal the decision but must work out how to change the current regulations.
DPA/The local/jcw
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