Deer camps can continue to exist because fallow and red deer are given an exemption in announced animal welfare legislation. Agriculture Minister Piet Adema (Christian Union) wrote this in a letter to the House of Representatives on Tuesday. From July next year, for animal welfare reasons, it will only be allowed to keep animals if they are on a list of pets and hobby animals. The minister is not adding deer to the list, but does allow them to be bred through the exemption.
Adema thus responds to the concerns of deer park owners, who have feared closure since last year because of the announced list. They have convinced the minister of the “social value” and “long history” of deer parks, some of which have existed since the 19th century. Moreover, they occur on a large scale: there are approximately 250 deer parks in the Netherlands.
Animal welfare organizations previously responded enthusiastically to a possible ban on deer parks, because the animals in these fenced areas would not have enough space to exhibit their natural behavior. In his letter on Tuesday, Adema did not discuss any consequences of his decision for the welfare of the deer. Veterinarian Peter Klaver said earlier NRC that the absence of deer on the list is ‘little relevant’ for animal welfare, because visitors to deer parks usually cannot get to the animals due to the fence.
Reading list