Trouble in agriculture: Protect rooks or shoot them?

Rooks are considered sociable, highly communicative, and extremely intelligent animals . Although their population is steadily recovering, these birds are among the most protected species in Germany. This is causing great distress among farmers in Rhineland-Palatinate. The reason: Cherries and strawberries, as well as sugar beet and corn seedlings, are on the menu of these black-feathered creatures with slender beaks.

The damage caused by crows is increasing, according to farmers' associations. For years, crow damage has been causing six-figure annual losses, especially in Rheinhessen. While it has been possible for some time to obtain a permit to shoot the birds in exceptional cases within a specific time frame, this regulation does not go far enough for farmers to protect their crops.

The Farmers' and Winegrowers' Association of Rhineland-Palatinate South and the Farmers' and Winegrowers' Association of Rhineland-Nassau criticize the measures as being insufficiently practical, too regionally limited, and not effective enough. Therefore, farmers are demanding significantly more.

They are pushing for the birds' conservation status to be downgraded to provide more opportunities for hunting. Natural enemies such as birds of prey have failed to maintain the crow population in a natural balance. According to the farmers, measures such as firecrackers, movable and fixed scarecrows, or fluttering ribbons have not led to lasting success.

"It's not about decimating the population through lethal deterrence to the point where it no longer causes damage," explains a spokesperson for the Farmers' and Winegrowers' Association of Southern Rhineland-Palatinate. "It's about shooting individual animals so that it has an effect on the behavior of the remaining animals."

If the state government upholds the protected status of rooks, the issue of compensation must be brought to the forefront. Farmers' associations are demanding that the damages suffered by farms be fully reimbursed. "Something must be done," warns an association spokesperson.

The previous year, especially in Rheinhessen, the Vorderpfalz, and the Zweibrücken area, there were rook colonies, some of which numbered over 1,000 breeding pairs. The number of breeding pairs was estimated at approximately 12,500 throughout Rhineland-Palatinate. The winter population averaged 16,000 birds. This also prompted resistance from residents in towns and cities due to the birds' loud calls, droppings, and falling nest material.

Due to the sharp increase, Climate Protection Minister Katrin Eder (Greens) and the state bird sanctuary have published a guide for farmers and urban residents. A reporting portal for crow damage is in place. A general decree also simplified the permit for shooting crows for farmers by making an exception.

According to the minister, 54 permits were issued in 2024 through exceptions to the shooting – known in technical jargon as lethal deterrence – resulting in the killing of approximately 100 to 200 rooks. A further simplification of permits was created in the spring – against legal resistance by a nature conservation initiative – for regions particularly affected by damage, and specifically for sugar beet and cherry crops.

According to the Green Party politician, there have been 53 applications from businesses this year under the current application procedure. Three carrion crows and 15 rooks have been shot so far under the general order.

The Rhineland-Palatinate regional chapter of the Federation for the Environment and Natural Resources in Germany (BUND) is extremely critical of the simplification of hunting permits and insists on animal welfare. BUND experts demand that alternative deterrent measures such as nets, blank shots, and mulch seeding be considered. An evaluation of protective measures must be conducted by neutral experts.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:250615-930-670903/1