Damages caused by animals and birds

Reporting damage

In order to apply for compensation for damage, the Environmental Board should be immediately notified after discovering the damage if:

• A farm animal or a pet (predator) has been killed or injured
• A beehive or silage bale has been damaged (predator)
• An entangling net or trap has been damaged (seal)
• There is a reason to believe that the European mink has caused damage to a fish farm (mink)
• Migrating geese, barnacle geese and cranes have damaged sowing, ripened fruit, and pastures and meadows (geese)
• During the current year, damage caused by white-tailed eagles or ospreys to a fish farm because of their feeding there (eagle) has been discovered.

The scene must be kept as intact as possible and damaged objects must not be moved from the scene for damage assessment, except in the following cases:

• It is a fishing gear
• It is necessary to treat or kill a farm animal or a pet
• The operation is necessary to prevent the death of swarm of bees.

If the person suffering damage would like to receive compensation for the damage, he or she must immediately notify the Environmental Board of the occurrence of the damage. The Environmental Board assesses the damage caused and sends relevant assessment report to the person suffering the damage.

After receipt of the report, it is possible to apply for compensation for damage.

How to notify?

• Send an email at  info@keskkonnaamet.ee.
• If it is not possible to send an e-mail, call at 662 5999 (general number of the Environmental Board) Mon-Fri from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• At other times, you can also report the damage to the state helpline at 1247.

The message must include:

• The location of the damage as accurately as possible (county, settlement, name of the farm or cadastral code)
• In case of damage to crops, also the number of the land parcel (geese)
• Damaged domestic animal or object and number (predator, seal, eagle, mink)
• The phone number and email address of the person suffering damage.

Applying for compensation of damage

The Environmental Board assesses the damage within 5 working days as from notification and submits a copy of the assessment report to the party suffering damage within 10 working days, except in the case of damage caused by an eagle to a fish farm.

The Board sends the information received about the eagles that feeds in a fish farm to the party monitoring eagles.

Once the assessment report has been prepared, a written application can be submitted to the Environmental Board for compensation for damage: 

• In case of damage caused by predator (wolf, lynx, brown bear) within one month as of the date of receipt of the damage assessment report
• In case of damage caused by a seal by the date set for submitting a coastal fishing record together with the coastal fishing record.
• In case of damage caused by geese within 12 calendar months as from the date of receipt of the damage assessment report, together with a certificate on the extent of the yield of the damaged agricultural crop
• In case of damage caused by eagles by 1 December of the current year.

Application forms for compensation of damages

 Damage caused by migrating geese, barnacle geese and cranes​​​

 Damage caused by seals, brown bear, wolf, lynx, European mink, white-tailed eagle and osprey

 The notification form of aid of minor importance for applicants seeking compensation for damage in the fisheries sector

Submit the application to the Environmental Board:

• by e-mail at info@keskkonnaamet.ee 
• by paper to the Office of the Environmental Board.

Make sure that you send the application together with the mandatory annexes (you can find a list in the application form). 

Compensation for damage prevention

The Environmental Board reimburses the expenses incurred for measures taken to prevent damage to the extent of up to 50%. Applications for reimbursement of prevention work expenses must be submitted to the agency no later than January 15 of the following year.

Expenses related to labor and costs indirectly associated with preventive measures, such as fuel costs, the purchase and use of vehicles and drones, and the purchase of hunting ammunition, are not eligible for reimbursement. 

The amount payable to one person is up to EUR 9600 per financial year.

Decisions regarding the reimbursement of prevention work expenses are made once a year, within three months of January 15.

Application form for compensation for damage prevention

Submit the application to the Environmental Board:

• by e-mail at info@keskkonnaamet.ee 
• on paper to the Office of the Environmental Board.

Recommendations for damage prevention

In order to avoid damage to livestock caused by large predators, we recommend:

• Put livestock into a smaller enclosure surrounded by a predator fence for the night.
• Guard livestock with specially adapted breeds of herding dogs (at least 2 per pasture group) all the time the livestock stays on pasture.
• Build a predator fence, which is an electric fence with at least five wires and with a voltage of at least 4500 V, the lower wire of which is up to 20 cm above the ground and the upper electrical wire or tape is at a height of at least 1,1 m above the ground. A wire fence with a separate upper electric wire or tape is also considered to be a predator fence, the lower edge of the wire fence is entirely on the ground, the height of the wire fence is at least 1,1 m, the electric fence outside the wire fence is not higher than 20 cm above the ground and there is an electric wire above the wire fence at the height of 1.1 m from the ground.
• fence the pasture with an electric fence

In order to avoid damage to fishing gear caused by grey and ringed seals, we recommend to:

• Change the fishing ground of the fishing gear after the damage has appeared.
• Use seal-proof fishing gear.
• Use seal deterrents (electronic, with sound).

To prevent damage to beehives and silage bales caused by brown bears, it is considered a sufficient and cost-effective preventive measure if the apiary or silage bales are surrounded by a predator-proof fence (a 4-5-wire electric fence at least 1 m high) or an electric fence net (at least 1 m high).

Additional information and legislation

• Loomakahjude ennetamine | 1.42 MB | pdf
• Looduskaitseseadus  (Nature Conservation Act )
• Looma tekitatud kahju hindamise metoodika, kahju hüvitamise täpsustatud ulatus ja hüvitamise kord ning kahjustuste vältimise abinõudele tehtud kulutuste hüvitamise täpsustatud ulatus ja kord  (Methodology for assessing damage caused by animals, the specified extent of compensation for damage and the procedure for compensation, and the specified amount and procedure for compensation for damage prevention expenses incurre.)

In order to avoid damage to agricultural crops caused by migratory birds, we recommend to:

• Use visual or sonic deterring devices (mirrors, wind wheels, waving ribbons, balloons, sound generators) with a density of at least 4 deterrents per 1 ha of arable land.
• Scare migratory birds away regularly.

In order to avoid damage to the fish farm caused by eagles, we recommend to:

• Cover fish ponds of up to 0.1 hectares with a net.