Slovakia approves sale of brown bear meat to public
The meat of brown bears, a protected species within the EU, might quickly be out there to eat in Slovakia after the populist authorities permitted plans on the market.
Final month, the cupboard authorised a plan to shoot a couple of quarter of the nation’s 1,300 brown bears in response to some latest deadly encounters.
The state-authorised slaughter has been criticised by conservationists and opposition politicians, together with within the European Parliament. The brown bear is listed as a “close to threatenend” species within the EU by the World Conservation Union.
Nonetheless, Slovakia’s authorities is forging forward with the plan and this week introduced that meat from culled bears can be bought to the general public to stop waste.
From subsequent week, organisations beneath the setting ministry can supply the meat on the market, supplied all authorized and hygiene situations are met.
State Minister Filip Kuffa stated it was wasteful that the animals had beforehand been despatched to carcass disposal services.
“We are going to launch each shot animal that meets sure situations for consumption. Why? As a result of bear meat is edible,” he stated.
Bears have grow to be a political difficulty in Slovakia after a rising variety of encounters with people, together with deadly assaults.
Slovakia ranks second in Europe, behind Romania which is estimated to have about 13,000 brown bears, for the variety of bear assaults lately.
The nation reported a complete of 54 bear assaults from 2000-2020. The common variety of assaults has additionally risen to 10 per 12 months, tough figures recommend.
In April, a person was mauled to demise whereas strolling in a forest in Central Slovakia.
Shortly after, Prime Minister Robert Fico introduced the cull, saying: “We won’t reside in a rustic the place individuals are afraid to enter the woods.”
He stated his authorities would shoot as much as 350 brown bears – a determine equal to the species’ total inhabitants in Spain.
His authorities argues {that a} bear overpopulation drawback has led to the assaults.
Nonetheless environmental teams and critics say the main focus ought to be on prevention.
Michal Wiezik, an ecologist and MEP for the opposition social gathering Progressive Slovakia, instructed the BBC final month the federal government’s plan was “absurd” and it had already didn’t restrict the variety of bear assaults “by the unprecedented culling of this protected species.”
Wiezik argued that 1000’s of encounters a 12 months handed with out incident and he hoped the European Fee would intervene.
Miroslava Abelova of Greenpeace Slovakia known as the culling plan “utterly reckless,” accusing the federal government of ignoring conservation legal guidelines and scientific recommendation.
Brown bears are strictly protected beneath EU directives, and should solely be killed in distinctive instances – comparable to threats to public security – when no different options exist.
Bear meat is just not generally eaten in Europe and is taken into account a delicacy solely in a number of areas, comparable to elements of Jap Europe and the Nordic nations.
In most EU member states, strict looking guidelines and the protected standing of the bears imply the meat is never out there. When it’s, it’s often from managed culls or licensed looking and never generally present in eating places or outlets.
The place bear meat is consumed, well being officers warn of the danger of Trichinella – a parasite that may trigger critical sickness in people.
The European Union Meals Security regulation requires all bear meat to be examined for Trichinella larvae earlier than it may be bought and the US’ Centre for Illness Management Prevention stipulates an internally cooked temperature of at the very least 70 levels centigrade to kill the parasite. Freezing, smoking or drying the meat doesn’t make it secure.