Challenges at livestock protection: EU report criticizes Austria’s handling of the wolf

This post is also available in: Deutsch Italiano

The European Commission’s recently published country report on the implementation of the nature conservation directives sheds a critical light on the state of livestock protection in Austria. According to the EU report, there are structural deficits in the management of large carnivores in particular – above all the wolf – which make successful coexistence with grazing livestock farming considerably more difficult.

Lack of uniformity and coordination

The European Commission criticizes the fact that the livestock protection in Austria is currently not comprehensive, standardized or secured in the long term (p. 13-14, 17). Different legal frameworks in the federal states lead to fragmented responsibilities and make a coherent strategy difficult. This lack of clarity undermines the effectiveness of conservation measures – both for Livestock and for strictly protected species such as the wolf.

Illegal killings undermine species protection

One particularly alarming finding concerns the illegal persecution of wolves. The report cites poaching, shooting and poisoning as the main reasons for the failure of reintroduction projects – particularly for the lynx in the Alps – and as a key obstacle to the stable establishment of the wolf as a reproducing species (p. 13, 17-18). Austria thus remains one of the few countries in which the conservation status of these species is acutely threatened by direct human-wildlife conflicts.

livestock protection as a solution – but not yet systemically anchored

Although the use of livestock guarding dogs, electric fences and adapted pasture management are considered key strategies, their implementation is not sufficiently institutionalized in Austria, according to the report. There is a lack of standardized requirements, training systems, central control and financial planning security for livestock farmers. In many places, livestock protection measures are only funded on a project basis and not sustainably (p. 13, 17).

LIFEstockProtect as a positive driver

This is precisely where the EU-funded LIFEstockProtect project comes in: over the past few years, it has enabled comprehensive training and further education for grazing livestock farmers, advisors, authorities and veterinarians. The aim was to create a common understanding of effective, practical and animal-friendly livestock protection – and, in the long term, to lay the foundation for broad implementation throughout Austria and beyond. The training modules, training courses and specialist events developed in the project form a valuable foundation for the next political and practical steps.