Hunting rules will be rewritten: electronic permits, tags on game, and a Unified Hunting Register — bill

Ukraine plans to completely update the rules for managing hunting farms, hunting, and the use of game animals. The new approach involves digitalizing the sector, replacing outdated procedures, strengthening the fight against poaching, and aligning legislation with European Union standards.

A draft Law "On Hunting Farms, Hunting, and Sustainable Use of Game Animals" No. 15431 has been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada, which is intended to replace the current law adopted back in 2000.

Why the law is being changed

The current law was adopted over 20 years ago and no longer corresponds to modern realities. It does not provide for digital accounting tools, is not aligned with EU environmental standards, and does not take into account the consequences of climate change and the full-scale war for hunting grounds and wild animal populations.

According to the State Forestry Agency, hunting grounds cover about 38.5 million hectares, which is more than 60% of Ukraine’s territory. More than 1,100 users of hunting grounds operate in the sector, and about 850,000 registered hunters are recorded.

Among the key problems, the authors name unclear legislative terms, lack of digital accounting, non-transparent distribution of grounds, non-compliance of legislation with EU standards, low economic efficiency of the sector, and insufficient protection of gamekeepers.

Proposed changes

The bill provides for the creation of a Unified Hunting Register containing data on hunters, users of grounds, game animals, permits, and hunting results. Most procedures are planned to be transferred to electronic format, and permits will be issued online.

It is also proposed to introduce mandatory marking of certain types of harvested animals with special means of individual identification. This should ensure traceability of hunting products and help combat poaching.

Another innovation is the abandonment of annual centralized harvesting limits. They plan to replace them with sustainable use plans for game animals, which users of grounds will develop based on scientific research.

New rules for using hunting grounds

The document also provides for a transparent competitive selection of users of hunting grounds. The powers to grant grounds for use and to terminate such rights are proposed to be transferred to local state administrations.

In addition, the bill defines the procedure for scientific, selective, and diagnostic removal of animals, as well as regulation of the number of invasive and undesirable species.

How they plan to fight poaching

The authors propose to strengthen responsibility for violations of hunting rules, improve the mechanism for compensating damages, and introduce additional legal and social guarantees for gamekeepers and hunting inspectors.

Outdated paper permit documents will also be canceled, and administrative procedures will be maximally transferred to electronic format.

The explanatory note states that the implementation of the law will require funding to create the Unified Hunting Register and the animal identification system. At the same time, an increase in budget revenues is expected due to fees for the use of hunting grounds, legalization of the hunting product market, and development of hunting tourism.

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