BRUSSELS—Humane World for Animals Europe (formerly called Humane Society International/Europe) warns that a new proposal to downgrade the protected status of wolves could open the floodgates to more serious attacks on EU nature laws.
In the wake of the December 2024 decision of the Bern Convention to lower the protected status of wolves, the European Commission yesterday put forward a proposal to amend the Annexes IV and V of the EU Habitats Directive to downgrade the protection status of wolves under EU law. This proposal will be dealt with under the Ordinary Legislative Procedure (also known as co-decision), which means that both the European Parliament and the Council of the EU will jointly consider it and adopt a final legislative text.
Dr Joanna Swabe, senior director of public affairs for Humane World for Animals Europe, said: “The decision to open up the Habitats Directive to downgrade wolf protection is a highly political one, shaped by years of relentless pressure by those determined to scapegoat and see more wolves culled, irrespective of the consequences for biodiversity. It is not a science-based decision in any way. While the Commission’s proposal may placate the agricultural lobby, it will not solve the far bigger problems faced by many farmers, particularly in the sheep sector. Instead, it could place the broader legislation at risk. To dissuade Members of the European Parliament and Member States from attempting to further dismantle the Habitats Directive, the European Commission must make it crystal clear that the proposal to downlist the wolf could even be withdrawn if these co-legislators try to tinker with any other part of the legislation.”
Humane World for Animals Europe notes that the downgrading of the protection status of wolves in the EU does not absolve Member States from their responsibility to ensure a favourable conservation status of this species. Nor does it mean that EU Members States can abandon efforts to achieve co-existence with large carnivores. It is the responsibility of Member States not only to encourage farmers to implement appropriate mitigation measures to protect their flocks and herds from wolf depredation, but to also ensure that they are fully aware that they can be and are fully remunerated for these preventative efforts. The current State Aid rules allow 100% reimbursement for any damages caused by depredation, as well as 100% remuneration for costs involved in implementing measures, such as fence installation, acquisition of guarding dogs, and others.
It is imperative that the European Commission addresses the bureaucratic delays in some Member States that essentially hinder timely compensation payments to farmers for losses of farmed animals. State Aid provisions allow Member States to grant full compensation for damages caused by predators, including indirect costs such as veterinary bills and labour, as well as full remuneration for measures implemented to protect farm animals from depredation. Yet, the effectiveness of these measures is apparently undermined in some countries by prolonged administrative processes. We urge the Commission to encourage Member States to streamline compensation procedures to ensure that farmers receive prompt support. This may help to reinforce the commitment to achieving coexistence with large carnivores.
Humane World for Animals will continue to work together with many other animal protection and conservation organisations to thwart attempts to dismantle the Habitats Directive and to advocate for coexistence with wolves and other large carnivores.
Facts
- Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora, which is known as the Habitats Directive, aims to protect more than 1000 native species, and 230 characteristic habitat types. The objective of the legislation is to ensure that these species and the habitats in which they live are maintained, or restored, to a favourable conservation status within the EU.
- The Habitats Directive already authorises Member States to use derogations to allow management control provided there is “no satisfactory alternative and the derogation is not harmful to the maintenance of the populations of the species concerned.” These exceptions are meant to stop “serious damage” to livestock and crops, protect the public’s health and safety or for research and education.
- The recovery and resurgence of the wolf population in Europe is partly due to the legal protections afforded to the species under the terms of the Habitats Directive. The recovery of the wolf, however, remains fragile. In six of the seven biographic regions in Europe where the wolf occurs, its conservation status is still unfavourable.
- In 2015, the European Commission carried out a ‘Fitness Check’ of the EU Habitats Directive ascertain whether it was still 'fit for purpose'. This process concluded that the legislation was still highly relevant and appropriate, but that the implementation thereof needed to be improved to meet its objectives.
- State Aid provisions compensate farmers with 100% financial remuneration for losses suffered and costs incurred by predator attacks, but also offer 100% reimbursement for the mitigation measures implemented. The primary issue is that farmers are not always aware of their entitlement to such funds, and Member States are slow in compensating them for their losses.
- Small and medium-sized farmers, particularly in the sheep sector, who bear the brunt of wolf depredation are faced with many other problems. The sector is beset by low incomes, limited investment, geographical remoteness, labour shortages and a lack of attractiveness to younger farmers. Farmers must also contend with changing consumer preferences and dietary habits, cheap exports from outside the EU, infectious animal diseases (such as bluetongue), and changes in public funding policy. Fluctuating market prices and the imposition of low prices on farmers by retailers and food companies, as well as increasing production costs, also put pressure on the sector.