Mission Statement: to assist the integration of foreign residents living in Spain
By Linda Hall •
Published: 02 Nov 2024 • 11:53
• 2 minutes read
Wolves returned to the Netherlands in 2015 after an absence of 150 years, but their presence has not been welcomed Zeeland farmers.
They claim that wolves, which were first spotted in the province in 2021, have killed dozens of sheep and they are calling for the strict European Union regulations protecting them to be relaxed.
This is likely to happen, as a majority of EU member states agreed in September to adopt the European Commission s proposal to downgrade the protection status of the wolf under the Bern Convention.
In the meantime, Zeeland’s provincial authorities allocated €95,000 to farmers and livestock owners for the the purchase of electrified fencing and other wolf-resistant safeguards to protect their animals.
“As a result, more than 3,700 sheep, 16 goats, six cattle and four horses are safer,” the provincial council reported.
Of 16 subsidy applications received, eight were turned down as not meeting the requirements or providing the necessary documentation, but eight others were approved.
Coexistence with wolves is possible claim
Wilfried Nielen, Finance councillor, announced that the scheme could be repeated in 2025.
“But we will have to see in the next provincial government Budget whether there is money for this.”
Farmers and some animal owners’ distrust or outright dislike of wolves is not unanimous in the Netherlands.
In an article that appeared in the European Environment Agency newsletter in September this year following the moves to downgrade wolves’ protected status, Annick Hue made a call to “choose love, not war” when coexisting with them.
A much-publicised incident in Utrecht last July when a wolf bit a small girl caused no harm, she continued, citing two experts who, after reviewing photos of the child’s injuries, determined that they were not a match for a wolf bite.
Rapidly expanding wolf population
“Attacks on livestock and encounters with humans and dogs have scaremongers calling for extreme measures,” Hue wrote. “But let’s be clear, killing wolves is not the answer.”
During the first six months of 2024, there were 360 attacks registered attacks on livestock, compared to 399 in the whole of last year, according to the ANP news agency s analysis of figures from BIJ12, which monitors the Dutch wolf population.
The Netherlands Agricultural and Horticultural Association (LTO) considers this demonstrates that the Netherlands’ wolf population is increasing too rapidly and regulation is urgently needed.
“We have to look at each area to see if there are too many wolves,” LTO Noord chairman Dirk Bruins said. “If that is the case, shooting should be possible.”
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Originally from the UK, Linda is based in Valenca province and is a reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering local news. Got a news story you want to share?
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