Government bills16
- HE 108/2026 vpPassed
Permitting barnacle goose and cormorant hunting
Barnacle geese and cormorants could be shot directly by virtue of the law to prevent agricultural and fisheries damage and flight safety risks. Meat from shot birds could be used for personal consumption, but selling it would be prohibited.
25 Jun 2026 · 7 votes150 jaa23 ei - HE 173/2025 vpPassed with amendments
Permitting wolf hunting
The year-round protection of wolves will be discontinued, and wolf hunting will be permitted during a defined hunting season. Quotas can be set or hunting licences issued for hunting without strict derogation procedures.
17 Dec 2025 · 6 votes135 jaa35 ei - HE 21/2025 vpPassed
Enabling management hunting of large carnivores
The Hunting Act will be amended so that population management hunting of bears, wolves and lynxes can once again be permitted in Finland. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will be able to define regional objectives for derogation permits and reference values for favourable conservation status by decree.
22 May 2025 · 9 votes131 jaa20 ei - HE 166/2024 vpPassed
Allowing drones for hunting invasive species
Drones may be used as an aid in hunting and tracking harmful invasive mammal species, such as raccoon dogs. At the same time, a longer transitional period of up to three years can be laid down for new prohibited invasive species.
17 Dec 2024 · 1 voteOnly vote · Lausumaehdotus , mietintö / Tiina Elo
116 jaa54 ei - HE 34/2024 vpPassed with amendments
Expanding wilderness inspectors' powers
Wilderness inspectors of Metsähallitus (the state forest enterprise) and other supervisory authorities will gain the right to inspect the backpacks and other carried items of hunters and fishers if they are suspected of having breached the rules. In addition, failing to obey an order or a stop signal given by a wilderness inspector will become a punishable offence.
19 Nov 2024 · 2 votesClosest vote · Lausumaehdotus, mietintö / Veronika Honkasalo
142 jaa17 ei - HE 5/2024 vpPassed with amendments
Permitting night vision devices for wild boar hunting
Hunters will be permitted to use night vision devices and electronic sights designed for night shooting when hunting wild boar. The amendment aims to make hunting more effective and prevent African swine fever from spreading to Finland.
12 Apr 2024 · passed without a vote - HE 270/2022 vpPassed with amendments
Updating rules on old nature reserves
Protection provisions for national parks, strict nature reserves and other protected areas established before 1996 will be elevated from decree level directly into acts of Parliament. The boundaries and main rules of use for the areas will remain largely unchanged, but they will be aligned with the new Nature Conservation Act.
14 Mar 2023 · 3 votesClosest vote · Lausumaehdotus, mietintö / Heikki Autto
105 jaa80 ei - HE 288/2022 vpPassed
Clarifying derogation permits for protected game
The conditions for granting derogation permits for protected game animals will be clarified to correspond to the interpretation of EU law. A derogation permit may only be granted if it does not prevent the maintenance or achievement of a favourable conservation status for the species.
8 Mar 2023 · 2 votesClosest vote · Lausumaehdotus, mietintö / Jenni Pitko 2
64 jaa95 ei - HE 163/2022 vpPassed with amendments
Raising the game management fee
The game management fee will rise to 43 euros and the fee for persons under 18 years of age to 22 euros. The increase will cover rising costs for game administration and the Finnish Wildlife Agency.
8 Dec 2022 · passed without a vote - HE 103/2019 vpPassed
Updating trade rules for seal products
Finnish legislation is brought into line with EU rules prohibiting the commercial sale of seal products, with an exception only for hunts conducted by indigenous communities. Domestic seal products cannot be placed on the market, and the supervision of imported products is clarified.
7 Apr 2020 · passed without a vote - HE 286/2018 vpPassed with amendments
Strengthening control of invasive alien species
Raccoon dogs, American minks and certain other invasive alien species will be removed from the list of game animals to make trapping and destroying them easier than before. At the same time, the golden jackal, which may spread to Finland, will be added as a game species to manage its population.
11 Apr 2019 · 5 votesClosest vote · 2. lakiehdotus, 41 a §, mietintö / Mats Nylund
104 jaa67 ei - HE 128/2018 vpPassed
Lowering game management fees for minors
The game management fee for under-18s would be reduced from 39 euros to 20 euros per year. The change aims to encourage young people to take up hunting.
15 Nov 2018 · passed without a vote - HE 83/2018 vpPassed
Removing protection for jackdaws
The jackdaw will be classified as an unprotected bird in the Hunting Act. Jackdaws may be trapped and killed without an official derogation permit outside the breeding season.
29 Jun 2018 · 1 vote148 jaa23 ei - HE 28/2017 vpPassed with amendments
Reforming hunting rules and permit procedures
The Hunting Act would be updated by introducing a shooting test for bow hunters targeting large game animals and requiring a hunt leader also for hunting large carnivores. At the same time, baiting large carnivores with food would be prohibited and permit bureaucracy reduced in areas such as controlling pest birds.
22 Jun 2017 · 3 votesClosest vote · 34 a §, mietintö / Johanna Karimäki
140 jaa19 ei - HE 48/2016 vpPassed
Intensifying wild boar hunting
The use of fixed artificial light will be permitted when hunting wild boar and raccoon dogs at feeding sites, and wild boar can also be caught using enclosures. These measures will step up hunting in order to prevent the spread of African swine fever to Finland.
26 May 2016 · passed without a vote - HE 42/2015 vpPassed with amendments
Expanding uses of cervid hunting fees
Hunting licence fees collected for the harvesting of cervids can be used more extensively for information systems and game management. The funds will cover, among other things, the costs of the game damage register and cervid population management projects.
3 Dec 2015 · passed without a vote