News item | 17-12-2024 | 16:22
The cabinet and the provinces will come up with one national approach to prevent wolf attacks on people, pets and livestock as much as possible and to act more effectively if these attacks do occur. One of the most important spearheads is the establishment of a National Livestock Protection Team, which will help livestock farmers take wolf-resistant measures. There will also be a National Wolf Information Point (LIW), which is intended as a central place for public questions, education and information about the wolf. This is stated in the new National Approach to Wolves (LAW) that State Secretary Jean Rummenie of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN) shared with the House of Representatives today.
State Secretary Jean Rummenie of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN): “Over the past year we have been extremely shocked by all the incidents involving wolves, especially those involving children. Something must therefore be done. The need is dire, that is why I have made agreements with the provinces to take action. I also shared my first thoughts about the definitions of a problem wolf and problem situation in my letter to Parliament. I will discuss these with the provinces and experts in the near future and are intended to enable us to act more quickly in the event of incidents.”
In 2018, the first wolf in a long time settled in our country. Since then, this number has increased to 104 to 124 wolves. The Netherlands is a small and densely populated country with limited space for the wolf and recently there have been more and more incidents involving people, pets and livestock. This has led to social unrest and feelings of insecurity among some. That is why the government and the provinces are intensifying their cooperation on wolf policy. The National Approach to Wolves contains 14 different activities.
Short-term activities
The activities in the National Approach to Wolves focus on prevention, knowledge and information sharing, improvement of incident response and an international approach. At the same time, account is taken of the fact that the Netherlands has a legal obligation to protect the wolf – a European protected species. An example of a short-term activity is the launch of the website and telephone number of the National Wolf Information Point (LIW) in early 2025. Here people can get clear and independent information in a central location, for example about where wolves are located. and what to do if they encounter a wolf. The LIW will later be expanded with additional components, such as the existing BIJ12 Wolf Reporting Center and making educational and public material available to education. We are also working on a National Livestock Protection Team, which will help livestock farmers to install fences that stop wolves and that will make knowledge and expertise available. We include the successful experiences of the wolf fencing team in Belgium and regional fencing initiatives that already exist in the Netherlands. Early next year we will have worked out what steps we need to take to set up the team and how long this will take.
We also investigate what financial options European funds offer for the protection of kept animals against the wolf and how other European countries use these funds. Work is also underway to set up a National Wolf Expert Team, which can quickly provide the provinces with independent advice and assistance in acute situations. Wageningen University & Research (WUR) also conducts research to determine the conservation status of the Dutch wolf population. The ministry is also in discussions with the European Commission to draw attention to the problems in the Netherlands, as a small and densely populated country, and about the possibilities for tailor-made solutions.
On behalf of the joint provinces, Deputy Matthijs de Vries says: “We warmly welcome the more intensive cooperation with the government. Due to incidents involving the wolf, we are seeing increasing social unrest in some parts of our country. That has our full attention. There is also a need for an accessible place where you can go with questions. We will work on this together with the government.”
Duration of National Approach to Wolves
The National Approach to Wolves is a supplement to the policy of the provinces and the Wolf Plan that they are working on. Provinces are the competent authority when it comes to the wolf and are therefore primarily responsible for policy. State Secretary Rummenie is also responsible for the system and therefore has a coordinating role. Further elaboration of the activities from the national approach and agreements on financing and capacity will take place in the near future. Because the 14 activities are different in nature, the pace at which we can perform them also varies. The approach runs until 2029.