Denmark’s anti-wild boar fence runs into opposition in Flensborg forest

Back in June, Parliament approved the erection of a 1.5-metre fence across the Danish-German border.

This was ostensibly for two reasons: to reduce the risk of wild boar infected with African swine fever entering the country, and to keep out marauding wolves.

However, the fence is set to go though Kollund Skov forest and the local council in Flensborg is up in arms. This would contravene a local statue dating back to 2006 that prohibits anything being built in the forest, the council claims.

At ministerial level
All the parties on Flensborg Council except for SSV that represents the Danish minority have voted to approach Denmark to reroute the fence out of the forest, reports DR Nyheder.

They also intend to take the matter up with the German Foreign Ministry.

“The Foreign Ministry is the relevant body that understands both international law and Danish law, so we need them involved,” said CDU councillor Arne Rüstemeier.

Rüstemeier also emphasised that it is important to preserve the forest as a natural recreational area for the citizens of Flensborg.

Fear of escalation
The Danish minority is afraid that the case could turn into a real stinker for Danish-German co-operation, and it has voted against the motion.

“You would normally go to the relevant minister, so this is really putting things up on much too high a plane,” said SSV’s group chair, Susanne Shäfer-Quäck.

Denmark’s environment minister, Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, has previously stated that Denmark has the right to expropriate the required area and pay Flensborg Municipality to annul the 2006 statute.

But in a comment to DR, associate professor Frederik Waage from the University of Southern Denmark warned that “you risk getting into a situation in which a Danish authority makes a decision on expropriation that directly intervenes in the relationship with neighbouring Germany”.

“That would further ratchet up the discussion there has been on the wild boar fence,” he added.