Clear announcement about the wolf from Prime Minister Markus Söder in Rottach-Egern

Created: 07/08/2022 06:16

By: Katja Schlenker

Asked for selfies at the 75th main alpine pasture tour on the Sieblalm in Rottach-Egern: (from right) Miesbach's District Administrator Olaf von Löwis, the Bavarian Minister of Agriculture Michaela Kaniber and Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder.

© Dangling

Rottach-Egern – The Almwirtschafts Verein Oberbayern demands consistent action against the wolf.

He also receives support from Prime Minister Markus Söder.

The wolf is currently the overshadowing topic - also at the 75th main alpine pasture tour in Rottach-Egern.

Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder was there, and he made a clear statement about the predator that is currently frightening the alpine farmers.

The Prime Minister described himself as thoroughly animal-friendly during the appointment at the Sieblalm, located on the ascent to the Risserkogel and Blankenstein.

But: “You have to see the reality of the wolf sometimes.

He doesn't belong here.

That's not his habitat," said Markus Söder and assured the farmers present of his support.

"Alpine farming is more important than the wolf"

In view of the fact that there are now wolves that run through places without any shyness, and that their population has reached a number in the past 25 years, since the animals have become native to Germany again, that are challenging the cultural landscape something to be done.

"Alpine farming is more important than the wolf," affirmed the Prime Minister and received a lot of applause from those present.

Emotion down and reason up, demanded Markus Söder and expressed the impression that farmers are now more closely controlled than nuclear power plants.

Problem: High protection status of the wolf

This was a promising message for the alpine farmers and farmers present.

District farmer Anton Maier, who has been managing the Sieblalm together with his family for the 15th generation, had previously made an urgent appeal to the politicians present - including the members of the Bundestag Alexander Radwan (CSU) and Karl Bär (Greens) from the Miesbach district as well as the Minister of Agriculture Michaela Kaniber and Environment Minister Thorsten Faithr.

Anton Maier had a request to the politicians: "That you fight for us so that we can finally achieve something." Because up to now the wolf has enjoyed a high protection status and may only be removed in rare cases.

The topic of wolves is primarily in the department of Minister of Agriculture Michaela Kaniber.

But there are also other areas that she addressed during the 75th main pasture tour on Wallberg.

Michaela Kaniber mentioned four points:

• Support:

  District farmer Anton Maier criticized the fact that the compensatory allowances had been stamped out.

  Here the Minister of Agriculture promised a remedy: "For three and a half years I have been repeating like a mantra to solve the problem of compensatory allowances." This is to be done via a framework program.

• Wolf:

  By the fall, the plan is to pool those pastures that cannot be fenced off due to their terrain profile.

  If a wolf then causes damage, it can be removed more quickly.

  In addition, Michaela Kaniber called for monitoring so that one would know how many wolves were in the mountains.

• Combined husbandry:

  The federal government plans to ban the tethering of cattle by 2030.

  In Bavaria, this is particularly the case for farmers on smaller farms that so-called combined husbandry could also be affected.

  The animals are kept in tethered housing, but have at least 120 days of exercise a year, i.e. grazing.

  She is in talks with the Federal Minister of Agriculture, Cem Özdemir, because Bavaria prefers the combination husbandry that has been practiced up to now.

• Leisure pressure:

  The Bavarian Minister of Agriculture also presented the “Respect your borders” initiative, which runs jointly with Austria.

  Their goal is to create systematic and comprehensive protection for sensitive habitats.

  To ensure that people and nature do not get in each other's way, the aim is to make areas of the cultural landscape that are particularly worthy of protection visible.

  This gives animals and plants the space they actually need.

  The reason for this is that the leisure pressure on the Alpine region is increasing.

  "We are happy to have guests," said Michaela Kaniber, "but pastures and Alps are in great distress." They want to support alpine farmers and farmers whose areas are damaged by reckless cyclists or hikers.

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Numerous participants came together for the 75th main alpine pasture tour on the Sieblalm in Rottach-Egern.

Then it was a tour of the area.

© Dangling

That gives hope to the alpine farmers.

Especially when it comes to wolves, a solution is needed quickly.

"There are 2,000 wolves in Germany - and the trend is rising," said Josef Glatz, who has been chairman of the Almwirtschafts Verein Oberbayern (AVO) since 2019, an association to preserve the cultural landscape.

"They tear animals and drive calves down rock faces."

In Sweden, for example, the stock is strictly regulated, he explained and asked: "Why not here?".

One should also work with Austria, South Tyrol and Switzerland, which are equally affected.

Josef Glatz also appealed to Prime Minister Markus Söder to advocate for the interests of alpine farmers in Berlin.

Söder 2018 on the main alpine pasture tour on Kreuzbergalm

He recognized their work.

"We have to be happy anyway that this difficult job of alpine farming is still being done," he explained.

"Far too little is appreciated what the farmers do."

After the round of talks at the Sieblalm, they made their way via Riedereck, Bernau-, Ableiten-, Röthenstein- and Rottachalm.

Twelve kilometers of route and 850 meters in altitude through partly undeveloped alpine terrain had to be mastered.