Conflicts between landowners and hunters (not) eternal?

„A private landowner with hunter's ticket and who owns a parcel of at least 15 hectares of woodland or agricultural land in the specific hunting area unit, where hunting is not prohibited, in cases where the user of this hunting ground unit is an association of persons, shall be entitled to become a member of this association“, – according to Article 13 of the Hunting Law of the Republic of Lithuania. But is the association obliged to accept the landowner? It is on this basis that the conflict between the hunting club and the landowner in Zarasai district took place.

„Laws must be respected by all“

Gintaras Juškevičius, a Kaunas resident who recently faced an unpleasant situation, is convinced of this. He bought 20 hectares in the Zarasai district. He decided to take advantage of the Hunting Law of the Republic of Lithuania and, according to Article 13(1), he applied to be admitted to the local hunting club, whose hunting area includes the land purchased by Mr Juskevičius. However, the Dusetai hunting club rejected the application.

„The group follows the principle – I want to accept, I do not want to accept. They do not follow the hunting laws“, – said G. Juškevičius.

Vyras said he is a young hunter who has only had a hunting licence for a few years. When asked if he knew why the club had not accepted him and if there had been any conflicts, Juškevičius assured that there had been no conflicts.

The landowner intends to pursue the problem further in court. I may not hunt in that club, but everyone must obey the law.

The law is not binding

„13 The Hunting Act states that a landowner can be accepted as a member of an association, but this is not an obligation. That is to say, the law does not oblige one to do so“, – the situation was calmly explained by Šarūnas Gylys, the head of the Dusety hunting club, from his side.

„We spoke with the lawyer of the Kaunas man that his client is not accepted on the grounds that nobody knows him and nobody has seen him. It seems interesting that a person who has never been seen or heard of comes in and applies to join the club. From a human point of view, it does not seem that this should be the case. But from the side of the law – everything is normal“, – continued Š. Gylys.

He added that under the law, it is possible for a landowner who is not accepted into the club to enter into some kind of agreement that would allow a willing landowner to hunt on the land he owns. However, no request for such an agreement has been received by the club.

„It is strange that a person does not ask for the right to hunt but immediately wants to become a member of the association. We have never encountered such a situation before“, – wondered the head of the Dusetai hunting club.

Conflicts are decreasing

„In the past such situations were quite common. Now things are changing“, – the Chairman of the Lithuanian Farmers' Union (LŪS) Raimundas Juknevičius commented on the conflicts between farmers – landowners and hunters.

„Many farmers, who are also hunters, agree with groups and hunt on their land. However, if there is a conflict, just like in families, it is difficult to identify who is at fault," Juknevičius continued.

The main problem identified by the LŪS chairman is that the beasts belong to the state, but they are grazing on private land. For some – hunters – the state gives the right to regulate the number of beasts, for others – farmers – beasts often cause a lot of damage. Not all farmers are also hunters, and when farmers are harmed, they of course want compensation.

„These are quite complex matters, and if they were simple, they would probably have been resolved long ago. But there are too many components," Juknevičius explained the complicated situation.

However, according to the LŪS chairman, both sides have learnt to find a common language and how to resolve conflicts. "Perhaps everyone understands that if no compromise is found, legal and legislative regulation will intervene, which will not always be optimal," Juknevičius concluded.