Reindeer Owner

Each reindeer has an owner. The ownership of the reindeer is marked at the reindeer’s ear with a reindeer mark, that is, an ear mark. In Finland, the right to own reindeer is determined in the Reindeer Husbandry Act in the following way: ‘Reindeer may only be owned by citizens of the countries belonging to the European Economic Area who have permanent residence in the reindeer herding area, and reindeer herding co-operatives. Citizens of countries belonging to the European Economic Area who do not reside in the reindeer herding area may own draught reindeer.’ Unlike in Sweden and Norway, it is not only Sámi who are allowed to own reindeer in Finland. Among Sámi, the reindeer mark is inherited in families.