Farmers from the municipalities of Miranda do Douro, Vimioso, and Mogadouro are raising alarms over significant livestock losses, urging the Agriculture and Environment Ministries for urgent intervention to curb the economic damage being wrought by wolf attacks.
Antonio Padrão highlighted the distress among farmers who are “fearful and demotivated” due to the frequent wolf attacks, and called for government assistance to tackle what he described as a “calamity”.
“We appeal to the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture to address this calamity. Protecting wolves must come with adequate conditions since current measures, including guard dogs and property fencing, are ineffective,” he asserted.
Padrão emphasized the unsustainability of the situation, mentioning that if wolves target larger animals, sheep stand little chance of defending themselves. He stated that protective measures for wolves are stifling livestock farming in the Mirandese Plateau, saying, “The industry is being destroyed.”
The farmer further shared his ongoing fear of potential wolf attacks on his 140 sheep, recounting an incident in September where he managed to fend off a wolf attack during daylight using dogs and a staff.
Viriato Domingues, another farmer, reported a mid-June wolf attack on his property in Uva, Vimioso, resulting in the death of 20 sheep and four lambs, with eight more severely injured. Despite notifying the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF), he has yet to receive compensation offers and mentioned seeing wolves frequently.
Domingues warned of potential actions to urge authorities to address the issue, given the persistent attacks.
Isidro Carvalhino, a livestock producer, echoed the sentiment for governmental intervention, stressing that while they respect wolf protection, funds used for this purpose should also address feeding wolves to reduce attacks on livestock. He linked the scarcity of animal feed to recent fires in the cross-border areas, forcing predators closer to human settlements as they lose their natural refuge.
Carvalhino recounted a wolf attack near his home during broad daylight and stated the urgency of taking measures to draw attention to the continuous predator threat.
The ICNF reported that from January to mid-September, 32 wolf attacks had been recorded in the district of Bragança’s border region, with incidents ongoing and numbers rising.
Farmers detailed the economic impact, noting the market price of sheep and lambs, with attacks leading to significant financial losses. José Martins detailed costs as high as 250 euros for a sheep and up to 100 euros for a lamb, underscoring the heavy financial toll of wolf predation.
July saw the unveiling of the Alcateia 2025-2035 Program aimed at preserving the Iberian wolf, including a 3.3 million euro budget for revising compensation levels for livestock predation, aligning them with market values.
The ICNF affirmed the Iberian wolf’s endangered status in Portugal, highlighting protective measures like damage compensation and assistance projects to promote indigenous livestock-guarding breeds.
While awaiting further comment from the ICNF, the agency confirmed plans to provide additional information at a later stage.
