Mushroom season starts with fines: customs stops illegal mushroom smuggling!

Von WOM

sing (ots)

The mushroom season has started and thus also the controls of the customs authorities. Last weekend, several travelers were checked in the main customs office, which led to a considerable amount of confiscated mushrooms. The customs officers found a total of 71 kilograms of mushrooms during these controls, which exceeded the permissible amount for their own use. The people concerned, including two Swiss, an Italian and an Austrian citizen between the ages of 48 and 73, had collected between 10 and 29 kilograms of mushrooms, including the protected stone mushroom. These mushrooms mostly came from the Black Forest, a popular collection area.

Sonja Müller, who sing the press spokeswoman for the main customs office, explained the legal foundations: "To protect nature, the Federal Nature Conservation Act only allows a small amount of fungi for personal needs." According to the provisions, a guideline of one kilogram of fresh mushrooms per person per day has often been used in recent years. This set of rules applies to all mushroom collectors, regardless of their place of residence in Germany.

fines for mushroom collectors

The measures by the customs officials led to a total of around 7,200 euros for travelers because they had violated the Federal Nature Conservation Act. The customs officers were forced to destroy the confiscated mushrooms because it was not possible to use sensible re -exploitation.

The Federal Nature Conservation Act, more precisely § 38, regulates the removal of a small amount of mushrooms. In contrast to these regulations, it is an administrative offense in accordance with Section 69 BNatSchG, which can be punished with fines of up to 10,000 euros; In special cases, the fine can even be up to 50,000 euros.

The strict controls are a clear indication that collecting mushrooms is not only a leisure activity, but is also associated with responsibilities. The protection of nature has a top priority, and the authorities remain vigilant to ensure that nobody disregarded the regulations.