The German Delegation of the CIC, official partner of the “Jagd & Hund” fair, similar to last year, invited the participants to a lecture and discussion event in the afternoon of the opening day. The theme of the talk this year was “Hunting in Europe – present and future”. The event attracted about 100 participants, who received a broad general impression on the future challenges for hunting and hunters.
“A recent poll in Austria shows that hunting still has wide support in the public. 76 percent of respondents had a positive attitude towards hunting”, said Dr. Philipp Harmer, Deputy President of the CIC (on the left in the podium).
(Dortmund, 29th February 2019, CIC) At the opening of the “Jagd & Hund” fair, the German Delegation of the International Council for the Conservation of Game and Wildlife (CIC) organized a panel discussion with the theme: “Hunting in Europe – present and future”. Panellists included Dr. Sven Herzog (TU Dresden) as moderator; Dr. Philipp Harmer, Deputy President of the CIC; Dr. Albert Weiler, Member of the Bundestag; Ian Bell, Managing Director of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC); and Karl-Heinz Florenz, Member of the European Parliament.
After a short introduction by Hans-Werner Blöcker, board member of the German Delegation, CIC President George Aman gave a welcome note and presented the panellists. Prof. Herzog took over the moderation and gave the speakers the opportunity for one brief statement on the challenges for hunting in Europe. Public relations, financial resource needs, the return of the wolf, and the relationship between hunting and politics at the national and EU-level were put forward as crucial issues and then further elaborated on during the discussions.
There was agreement between speakers and participants: Hunting must be supported by professional communications along with sufficient funding.
The three-hour event ended with a closing message from CIC President George Aman, who called for unity among national and international hunting federations. President Aman emphasized the importance of maintaining professional public relations in view of the current challenges faced by and attacks on hunting. Taking action, such as with the “One Euro per Hunter” campaign, which was initiated by the CIC, is the right way to improve public relations through professional communication and unity in the hunting community.