Faced with wolf predation, the position of Aude unions before the elections to the Chamber of Agriculture

Thimoléon Resneau, president of the Aude breeders' union (Selpa), running mate on the FDSEA/JA list: “Wolf pressure has existed for around ten years. It started in the Razès then it spread to the Montagne Noire and now towards Labacède-Lauragais. There has been an increase in attacks in recent years. Sheep breeders have taken measures with protection dogs, installation of electric fences, night park. You should know that beyond three proven attacks, two of these three protection measures are mandatory to be compensated. But no breeder will be satisfied with compensation. Our position is now to move on to another stage. There are now more than 1,000 wolves in France. We can consider that the species is no longer threatened. The wolf is in nature to regulate wild species. It is not normal for domestic herds to become his pantry. We do not want to eradicate him. We must teach him that going around herds is dangerous. for him. And you have to show it to him. For this, the breeder must be able to defend his herd and shoot the wolf as is done in Spain.” And the president of Selpa recalled that between “12,000 and 13,000 livestock are killed each year in France by wolves” whose population is estimated at around 1,100 individuals.

Baudouin Riquet, present on the Rural Coordination list: “In the Trap, there have been a lot of wolf attacks. All my neighbors have been victims. This has disrupted the practices of sheep breeders. Before the wolf, they left the animals in the meadows. Now to limit attacks, they bring the herds in in the evening and every morning they take them out. We are asking for better management of the wolf with a harvesting authorization. The only way to protect ourselves is to hunt. harmful. The old ones. fought to eliminate the wolf because it was a competitor, which is at the top of the food chain.” Last June, rural coordination had, in a press release, estimated that “any cohabitation of wolves with human activities is unrealistic and reflects unconsciousness”. “The wolf, as well as other large predators, must be confined to wild environments only.” The union demanded “the declassification of the wolf which is today the subject of protection at international level, within the meaning of the Berne Convention and within the meaning of Directive 92/43/EEC known as flora and fauna habitat”. “It is classified as a priority of community interest in Annex IV. We are asking for a modification of this European legislative framework which largely limits the possibilities for regulating and controlling the lupine population.”

Yann Vétiis, head of the list of the Peasant Confederation: “We see that the pressure is shifting in Aude. But we regret a lack of transparency in the monitoring of wolves. We never manage to know the genetic identity of the animal, nor how many there are. We have not never had too much confidence in the return of the authorities on this subject. At the Conf, we consider that we must shoot at wolves who are predating. But of course, there is no point in going and shooting at wolves who are in danger. full nature. We must give them their place but it is not in breeding areas.” Especially since the wolf brigade, the only one in France to be authorized to “take” this animal, “will not travel to Aude”. “We have a small breeding operation in the department. There are no big issues like in the Alps.” The trade unionist is rather satisfied with the wolf plan which allows for aid to finance protection measures (dogs, electric fences), even if it is “more files to fill out”. He notes that, unlike other countries like Italy, we wanted to eliminate the wolf several decades ago and that today we have gone from one extreme to the other, with overprotection.