On 3rd December 2024 the European Commission agreed on measures to downgrade the protected status of the grey wolf in EU countries. The species will now be moved from Annex II (strictly protected) to Annex III (protected) of the Bern Convention. This means that many of the safeguards that have allowed wolves to flourish in Europe for the last 45 years will now be removed. From the beginning of March 2025, each EU country will be able to set an annual quota of wolves to kill. The downgrade was welcomed by hunters but has prompted outrage from conservationists.

4th December 2024

The Eurasian wolf (Canis lupus lupus), also known as the common wolf, is a subspecies of the grey wolf native to Europe and Asia. It was once widespread throughout Europe—including the British Isles—prior to the Middle Ages. Wolves were deliberately killed off across much of Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries by famers anxious to protect their livestock from being killed. There was also a widespread fear of wolf attacks on humans. Wolves were never fully exterminated in some remote mountain regions, however, especially in the large forested areas of Eastern Europe.
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Eurasian wolves established in mountainous areas far from where people live prey on moose, red deer, roe deer and wild boar. But those that find themselves living in areas close to farms and villages are forced to live on any livestock they can kill and what they can raid from waste dumps.

Wolf populations began to recover in the mid-20th century as people moved away from rural areas to the towns and cities, and as governments introduced protection measures to keep hunters at bay. Today, an estimated 20,000 wolves roam across nearly all European countries except the British Isles. Rising tensions with farmers have sparked calls for culls in wolf populations. The EU estimates that wolves kill 65,000 livestock animals each year and it is for this reason that the wolf's protected status is to be downgraded.
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Wildlife campaigners point out that only a tiny percentage of Europe’s 68 million sheep and goats are killed by wolves each year—just 0.065% of the total number. There have been no fatal wolf attacks on humans for 40 years. They also argue that wolves keep down numbers of deer and wild boar, which damage trees and crops. Wolves also prevent the spread of diseases by eating sick animals. Another argument against shooting wolves is that they hunt in packs. If the older wolves are shot, the individual wolves left behind are forced to attack easier prey such as sheep and goats. Improved protection methods, such as the use of livestock guardian dogs and putting up electric fences, should, according to campaigners, be implemented instead of culling the wolves.