Germany and Austria devise wolf control strategies amid farmer conflict

Agriculture Minister Hanka Mittelstädt announced a new management plan for wolves in Brandenburg, Germany, aiming to curb shooting quotas and seek a compromise between hunters, livestock owners and conservation groups. She said only a limited number of wolves would be allowed to be shot and a wolf‑dialogue will precede the plan’s October presentation.

In neighboring Austria’s Styria region, farmer Bernhard Tasotti reported losing 14 sheep to a wolf and called for more shooting, while environmental NGO European Wilderness Society warned that herd‑protection measures are costly but necessary. The state ended its herd‑protection funding, and a wolf was recently shot after a sheep raid, with DNA results still pending.