Sami Parliament in Finland call for reform to Reindeer Damage Act
The Sámi Parliament in Finland is calling for reform of the Reindeer Damage Act after the March 13 government refusal to investigate the current freezing of reindeer pastures.
The controversy follows a formal request from Sámi reindeer herding communities on March 4 urging the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to activate the Reindeer Damage Act.
Reindeer herds across Sápmi, the sami homeland that straddles arctic Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula in Russia have been facing extreme conditions, including freezing temperatures, mold, and thick layers of ice in the snow, all of which have rendered the reindeer’s usual food sources inaccessible.
The the animals unable to dig through the ice to get to their food, the Sami reindeer herders are being faced with mass migrations and mounting costs for emergency feeding.
In a statement on Tuesday, Leo Aikio, First Vice-Chairman of the Sámi Parliament in Finland, criticized the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry for asserting that there was no measurable damage to investigate, nor any threat to the long-term viability of the reindeer industry.
“Finnish legislation must be reformed so that in exceptional circumstances, assistance is provided proactively, and not only after reindeer deaths,” he said.
“The current situation, where information on the number of reindeer deaths is expected until the autumn, is unreasonable and also more expensive than timely assistance for emergency feeding.”
Ongoing concerns over predator compensation
Aikio said the Sami Parliament’s frustration with the Act further fueled by the fact that neighboring countries like Norway and Sweden have already taken action to support their reindeer herders, while Finland lags behind.
Aikio said the current environmental conditions are compounding stress on Sami who are already reeling from cuts to predator compensation, leaving scrambling to make ends meet.
“The cut in predator compensation is yet another blow to reindeer herders, whose financial situation is already extremely tight following the devastation of exceptional winters,” he said.
“Reindeer are subject to property protection and any damage caused to them should be fully compensated. The state regulates predator populations and it is also the state’s duty to compensate reindeer killed by predators,.”
Comments, tips or story ideas? Contact Eilís at eilis.quinn(at)cbc.ca
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