Latest news with #FilipKuffa
Daily Mirror
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Brown bears to become legal source of meat in bid to stop attacks on humans
Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico approved plans to shoot 350 of the country's 1,300 brown bears in response to some fatal attacks. The meat will be sold for human consumption Controversial plans to slaughter brown bears and sell the meat for human consumption will cause "immense suffering", according to leading animal groups. Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico approved plans to shoot 350 of the country's 1,300 brown bears in response to some recent fatal attacks. Brown bears, which are a protected species under EU law, will be sold to the public in a bid to "prevent waste", according to State Minister Filip Kuffa. 'We will supply every captured individual [bear] that meets the conditions for consumption,' he said this week in a social media post. "Because bear meat can be eaten', the ministry will 'offer caught specimens for sale,' he added. Despite the brown bear being listed as a "near threatened" species in the EU by the World Conservation Union, the move state-authoritised slaughter has been approved. After a man was mauled to death while working in a forest in Slovakia, Prime Minister Robert Fico said: "We can't live in a country where people are afraid to go into the woods." Slovakia reported a total of 54 bear attacks from 2000-2020, with the average number of attacks rising to around ten a year, according to the latest figures. PETA's Vice President of Programmes, Elisa Allen, criticised the move and said killing the bears will cause "immense suffering" She told The Mirror: "No one needs to eat bears, and bears don't wish to be eaten - they simply want to be left in peace. Humane, non-lethal solutions – including habitat management, bear-proof rubbish bins, and public education about bear-safe behaviours – have proven effective in addressing perceived wildlife issues, and authorities owe it to these sensitive, majestic animals to use them. "Killing bears risks orphaning cubs, causing immense suffering, and destabilising ecosystems. Rather than destroying and consuming the natural world, we must learn to live compatibly with other species." However, State Minister Mr Kuffa claimed it was "wasteful" the animals were being to a carcass disposal facilities, as he attempted to justify the meat sale. But the decision to cull the bears and sell them for human consumption been slammed by conservationists and opposition politicians. The World Wide Fund for Nature Slovakia called the culling and sale of meat "unacceptable." A spokesperson told The Mirror: "We are deeply concerned by the Slovak government's latest steps regarding the management of the brown bear population, including the recent approval of a mass cull and the reported allowance for the public sale of bear meat. 'WWF Slovakia underlines that brown bear is a protected species under EU Habitats Directive, Bern Convention, as well as CITES. The latest management measures are not only unacceptable from an ethical and environmental point of view, but they are also in direct conflict with European law and international treaties. 'The brown bear is a strictly protected species in Slovakia. Yet, we saw a record 144 bears killed in 2023 — the highest number in over 100 years. Despite this unprecedented culling, the number of human-bear conflicts has not decreased. This further confirms what science has already made clear: indiscriminate, large-scale culling does not reduce human-bear dangerous encounters. 'The Ministry of Environment, under the current government led by Prime Minister Robert Fico, continues to propose non-systemic, short-sighted solutions that fail to address the root causes of the issues. The proposal to kill another 350 bears could mean losing almost half of Slovakia's bear population in just two years – with no guarantee that this will make people safer. "Instead of turning Slovakia's protected wildlife into a menu item, the government should prioritize evidence-based prevention measures, such as: Better waste and food management in towns and villages near bear habitats, Removing baiting sites near settlements and hiking trails, Supporting measures to prevent bear attacks on livestock, supporting emergency response teams to deal with problematic bears, Placing warning signs in areas inhabited by bears and Educating people on how to behave safely in the wild. "We ask the Slovak government to stop these harmful measures and focus on long-term, responsible wildlife management. Allowing the sale of meat from a protected species like the brown bear is an unprecedented and concerning decision, which could lead to even more damage to wildlife being treated as products."
IOL News
29-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Slovakia allows culled bears to end up on plates
Slovakia has allowed the consumption of the meat from a number of brown bears it plans to cull. The Slovak government has decided to allow the consumption of brown bear meat, angering environmentalists who this week slammed the move as absurd and giving a boost to poachers. Slovakia's nationalist government last month approved the culling of 350 bears, citing danger posed to people and a steady increase in bear population. Filip Kuffa, a state secretary at the environment ministry, said on Facebook this week the state would offer culled animals for resale "because bear meat is edible". Brown bears are protected in Europe, but there are exemptions on shooting and several countries including Slovenia also allow bear meat said bear meat must have a certificate before it hits the market, proving that the animal was hunted in compliance with an exemption from protection. Environmentalist Marian Hletko said the decision was "absurd" as the meat will be offered by the environment ministry's organisations." The organisations designed to protect nature will turn into state-run butcheries offering the meat of protected animals," said Hletko, from the We Are Forest initiative. He added it would also boost poaching as "when the state signals it is not interested in protecting bears, poachers will be less worried about potential sanctions". The government declared a state of emergency in most Slovak districts in April over "undesirable" bear presence, following deadly attacks. "We can't live in a country where people are afraid to go to the woods," said Prime Minister Robert Fico. The Slovak parliament already eased the rules for bear culling in May 2024, allowing exemptions in several districts. But the country must follow an EU directive that allows culling only of problem bears damaging property or attacking people, and only if there is no other solution. Hletko said that a record-high 92 bears were shot in the EU member country of 5.4 million people in 2024, while another 52 died in car accidents or were killed by poachers. Environment Minister Tomas Taraba recently said the Slovak bear population exceeded 1 300 animals. | AFP
RTÉ News
28-05-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Slovakia allows culled bears to be eaten
The Slovak government has decided to allow the consumption of brown bear meat, angering environmentalists who have slammed the move as absurd and giving a boost to poachers. Slovakia's nationalist government last month approved the culling of 350 bears, citing danger posed to people and a steady increase in bear population. Filip Kuffa, a state secretary at the environment ministry, said on Facebook this week the state would offer culled animals for resale "because bear meat is edible". Brown bears are protected in Europe, but there are exemptions on shooting and several countries also allow bear meat consumption. Mr Kuffa said bear meat must have a certificate before it hits the market, proving that the animal was hunted in compliance with an exemption from protection. However environmentalist Marian Hletko said the decision was "absurd" as the meat will be offered by the environment ministry's organisations. "The organisations designed to protect nature will turn into state-run butcheries offering the meat of protected animals," said Mr Hletko, from the We Are Forest initiative. He added it would also boost poaching as "when the state signals it is not interested in protecting bears, poachers will be less worried about potential sanctions". The government declared a state of emergency in most Slovak districts in April over "undesirable" bear presence, following deadly attacks. "We can't live in a country where people are afraid to go to the woods," said Prime Minister Robert Fico. The Slovak parliament already eased the rules for bear culling in May 2024, allowing exemptions in several districts. But the country must follow an EU directive that allows culling only of problem bears damaging property or attacking people, and only if there is no other solution. Mr Hletko said that a record-high 92 bears were shot in the EU member country of 5.4 million people in 2024, while another 52 died after being hit by vehicles or were killed by poachers.
BBC News
28-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Slovakia approves sale of brown bear meat to public
The meat of brown bears, a protected species in the EU, could soon be available to eat in Slovakia after the government approved plans for month, the cabinet authorised a plan to shoot about a quarter of the country's 1,300 brown bears in response to some recent fatal state-authorised slaughter has been criticised by conservationists and opposition politicians, including in the European Parliament. The brown bear is listed as a "near threatenend" species in the EU by the World Conservation Slovakia's populist-nationalist government is forging ahead with the plan, this week announcing that meat from culled bears would be sold to the public. From next week, organisations under the ministry can offer the meat for sale, provided all legal and hygiene conditions are met. State Minister Filip Kuffa said it was wasteful that the animals had previously been sent to carcass disposal facilities."We will release every shot animal that meets certain conditions for consumption. Why? Because bear meat is edible," he have become a political issue in Slovakia after a rising number of encounters, including fatal ranks second in Europe, behind Romania which is estimated to have about 13,000 brown bears, for the number of bear attacks in recent country reported a total of 54 bear attacks from 2000-2020. But the average number of attacks had gone up to 10 per year, rough figures April, a man was mauled to death while walking in a forest in Central after, Prime Minister Robert Fico announced the culling plan, saying: "We can't live in a country where people are afraid to go into the woods."He said his government would shoot up to 350 brown bears - a figure equivalent to the species' entire population in government argues that a bear overpopulation problem has led to the environmental groups and critics say the focus should be on prevention. Michal Wiezik, an ecologist and MEP for the opposition party Progressive Slovakia, told the BBC last month the government's plan was "absurd" and it had already failed to limit the number of bear attacks "by the unprecedented culling of this protected species."Wiezik argued that thousands of encounters a year passed without incident and he hoped the European Commission would Abelova of Greenpeace Slovakia called the culling plan "completely reckless," accusing the government of ignoring conservation laws and scientific advice. Brown bears are strictly protected under EU directives, and may only be killed in exceptional cases - such as threats to public safety - when no other alternatives meat is not commonly eaten in Europe and is considered a delicacy only in a few regions, such as parts of Eastern Europe and the Nordic countries. In most EU member states, strict hunting rules and the protected status of the bears mean the meat is rarely available. When it is, it is usually from controlled culls or licensed hunting and not commonly found in restaurants or bear meat is consumed, health officials warn of the risk of Trichinella - a parasite that can cause serious illness in humans. The European Union Food Safety regulation requires all bear meat to be tested for Trichinella larvae before it can be sold and the US' Centre for Disease Control Prevention stipulates an internally cooked temperature of at least 70 degrees centigrade to kill the parasite. Freezing, smoking or drying the meat does not make it safe.
