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There are 20,000 wolves in Europe. Alamy Stock Photo
who's afraid
Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael MEPs vote to allow wolf culling and hunting in Europe
The European Parliament voted to weaken wolves’ protected status.
FIANNA FÁIL AND Fine Gael MEPs voted yesterday to downgrade the protected status of wolves, allowing wolf culling and hunting under limited criteria.
The vote to weaken protections for wolves comes three years after European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen’s family pony was killed by a wolf – leading to suggestions her European People’s Party’s campaign for this change was a personal matter for her. Fine Gael is part of Von der Leyen’s political group.
Grey wolves were virtually exterminated in Europe 100 years ago, but their numbers have recovered to a current population of 20,000, mostly in the Balkans, Nordic countries, Italy and Spain.
Conservationists have warned the legal change could undo decades of progress, and have warned that the wolf population remains fragile in most of Europe.
Ireland does not have wild wolves – although the Green Party famously called for their reintroduction in 2019.
Independent Ireland MEP Ciaran Mullooly also voted in favour of the European Commission proposal, which was carried by 371 votes to 162 with 37 abstentions.
The change has already been approved in principle by member states, who will need to rubber-stamp it again before it can enter force.
‘Dangerous precedent’
Sinn Féin and Labour MEPs, along with Independent Michael McNamara, voted against the measure. Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan was not present.
Lynn Boylan of Sinn Féin said the vote set a dangerous precedent that protections under the Habitats Directive, the EU’s flagship conservation law, could be eroded.
“In Ireland we have other protected species. This could be the thin edge of the wedge,” Boylan said.
She added that she did not believe Brussels’ proposal was based on sound science.
However, Irish MEPs who backed the European Commission proposal said they believed the measure was based on scientific data, and noted that member states could choose to retain the strictest protection for wolves. Either way, governments will be required to continue to monitor the species’ conservation status.
Farmers’ reality
Fianna Fáil’s Billy Kelleher said EU action has brought wolves back from near extinction to the point where there is very high density in some areas, particularly in central Europe.
“This is causing major challenges for livestock farmers,” Kelleher said.
“Culling of wild animals is part and parcel of responsible and sustainable wild animal conservation practices.”
Barry Cowen of Fianna Fáil said member states needed flexibility to balance conservation with the “realities” faced by farmers, with Thursday’s landslide vote indicating those realities had been heard “loud and clear”.
Fine Gael MEP Regina Doherty said: “A high wolf population can be a threat to biodiversity conservation, farmers, rural communities and tourism.”
Michael McNamara said he had opposed the proposal because it was not underpinned by science.
“Obviously, Ursula von der Leyen’s pony met a tragic end with wolves. But I found no scientific basis or information on which to base the decision,” McNamara said.
“I appreciate it might be an issue for farmers, but anyone who thinks that this decision is going to result in a cull of badgers or something, unless Ursula von der Leyen’s cat is killed by a badger, I don’t see that happening.”
Members of the Bern Convention, tasked with the protection of wildlife in Europe as well as some African countries, agreed in December to lower the wolf’s status from “strictly protected” to “protected”.
The EU was the driving force behind the push to lower the Bern Convention protections, arguing that the increase in wolf numbers has led to more frequent contact with humans and livestock.
The Bern downgrade came into force in March, and Brussels moved immediately to revise EU law to reflect the change.
Welcomed by Von der Leyen
Thursday’s vote was carried by conservative, centrist and hard-right groups, with green and left-wing parties opposing it.
Commission president Von der Leyen welcomed the results of the vote saying: “With growing wolf concentrations in some areas, we should give authorities more flexibility to find balanced solutions between the aim to protect biodiversity and the livestock of local farmers.”
Environmental groups have condemned the parliament’s decision, with a coalition of NGOs branding the measure “a political move disguised as policy”.
To date, there have been no human casualties linked to rising wolf populations in Europe, but some MEPs indicated farmers live with this fear hanging over them.
With reporting from AFP.
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