Overview
- Brandenburg’s cabinet approved adding the wolf to the state hunting law and implementing regulation, designating it as huntable with a year-round closed season and case-specific removals, targeted to take effect with a new wolf ordinance in early 2026.
- Agriculture Minister Hanka Mittelstädt said the change is intended to strengthen public acceptance and provide a basis for more effective herd protection where fencing and dogs are not feasible or sufficient.
- At the federal level, the government has advanced a draft to list the wolf under national hunting law, with Bundestag deliberations expected in spring 2026 and Bundesrat approval required.
- Conservation groups NABU and BUND reject broad culling or quota-style hunting, warn of potential conflicts with EU nature rules, and argue for robust herd protection, monitoring, and selective removal of specific problem animals.
- Rural advocates such as Forum Natur back the shift as enabling active herd protection, while the regional sheep breeders’ association stresses funding for preventive measures and cautions that hunting is not herd protection; states retain latitude to diverge from the federal framework.