Farmers Prevail Over Environmentalists: EU Lowers Wolves’ Protected Status to Protect Livestock

Countries across Europe have downgraded the protected status of wolves, a major victory for farmers who want more freedom to shoot animals that threaten their livestock and for the European Union and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who supported the measures. She said the outcome was ‘important news for our rural communities and farmers’ who are entitled to better protection of their livelihoods. An ardent lover of horses, von der Leyen had a pony that was mauled by a wolf two years ago. 

At a meeting in Strasbourg the previous Tuesday, members of the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats approved a request to change the status of wolves from ‘strictly protected’ to ‘protected’.

This clears the way for the EU to amend the Habitats Directive and make it easier for national authorities to grant derogations from killing wolves that are considered to pose a threat to farmers' livestock. This process is expected to take about a year.

The approval of plans to reduce wolf protection is being called a victory for farmers over environmentalists. The European Union's proposal was accepted by the 50 parties to the Bern Convention on Wildlife and Habitat.