Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) – The state of Hesse has revised the financial support for protective measures against wolves for grazing animals.”In order to avoid conflicts between grazing animal husbandry and wolves, we support the keepers in herd protection, especially in sheep husbandry, and improve it Constant support,” said Minister of Agriculture and Environment Priska Hinz (Greens) on Wednesday. The funding guidelines have been improved based on feedback from practice. Among other things, the owners should be able to get money more easily.
The focus is on the simplified support for the work of grazing livestock farmers. “Here, time-consuming proofs are replaced by a flat-rate subsidy,” explained the Ministry of the Environment. Among other things, mobile fences are subsidized at a flat rate of at least 760 euros per kilometer of fence length, 235 euros per kilometer for fixed electric fences and 1920 euros per livestock guardian dog. In addition, support for keeping livestock guard dogs, which can be promoted for sheep and goat farms with at least 200 animals, has been expanded and simplified.
What is also new is that keepers of cattle, horses or donkeys also receive a subsidy if an officially confirmed wolf attack on the animal species in question has taken place in a wolf prevention area. The agricultural offices of the individual districts are responsible for handling the funding.
Thomas Norgall, nature conservation officer at the Hessian Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation Germany (BUND Hessen), praised the regulation: “The new directive on grazing animal protection is a further step to promote the coexistence between grazing animals and wolves.” Herd protection should prevent young wolves from getting to know grazing animals as easy prey.
