farmers tie a dead heifer to a sub-prefecture

FARMERS – The message is strong. Several dozen farmers exhibited the corpse of a heifer killed by a wolf attack in front of the sub-prefecture of Pontarlier (see a photo of the action here), in Doubs, to protest against the refusal of state services to make defensive shots.

“The wolf attacks keep coming” more “breeders have been facing for weeks the systematic refusal of state services to issue defense shooting authorizations outside 17 municipalities” consisting of an experimental zone, regrets this Saturday, November 9 the Departmental Federation of Farmers' Unions (FDSEA) of Doubs.

“We are already at 23 heifers killed and 25 injured since July 14 in the department”is moved by Loïc Scalabrino, national deputy general secretary of Young Farmers, in the columns of The Republican East.

But Florent Dornier, president of the FDSEA of Doubs, indicated that he had been received by the deputy director of the Departmental Territorial Directorate (DDT). “He took note of all the demands”he said, but did not give a concrete answer to the breeders.

Two wolves shot dead in August in Doubs

The latter also castigated the legal attacks by nature protection associations against the shootings. “Each heifer which will be predated from today and which will not benefit from a simple defensive shot will end up in front of the sub-prefecture”concluded Florent Dornier.

In the Doubs, two wolves “under attack” were shot dead in August by prefectural order.

But in June, the administrative court of Besançon annulled two prefectural decrees authorizing shooting against wolves to protect herds, arguing that “the wolf is a protected species under European law” dont “destruction is in principle prohibited”. However, the law provides for exemptions to prevent “significant damage to livestock”.

The president of the Chamber of Agriculture of the neighboring department of Haute-Saône called, at the end of September, on breeders in his department to arm themselves and « taper » wolves illegally in order to protect their herds. This position led to condemnations from the prefect and the minister responsible for the Environment.

Metropolitan France has around a thousand wolves and the slaughter quota is set at 19% of the population recorded per year. In 2022, compensation for damage caused by wolves amounted to four million euros.

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