Wolves in Europe will be less protected from hunting from 2025, after a majority of European countries accepted a proposal to downgrade their status due to their growing number and their impact on agriculture and farming livestock.
Wolves' status will be lowered as of 7 March to "protected" from "strictly protected" under the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, in a move condemned by animal welfare groups.
Until now wolves have been protected from being deliberately hunted or captured unless they pose a serious threat to livestock or health and safety.
Under their new status, any "exploitation" of wolves "shall be regulated in order to keep the populations out of danger", effectively a far lower threshold for hunting them.
The EU Commission proposed the change, condemned by environmentalist groups, last year as growing wolf numbers led to conflicts with local farming and hunting communities and calls for measures to prevent attacks on livestock.
"Important news for our rural communities and farmers. We need a balanced approach between the preservation of wildlife and the protection of our livelihoods," EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement after the vote.
Ms von der Leyen, whose own pony was killed by a wolf in 2022, had urged member states last year "to take action where necessary".
Animal welfare groups including the International Fund for Animal Welfare condemned the decision.
"Today's decision represents a dangerous step backwards for biodiversity and sets a worrying precedent for wildlife conservation in Europe," it said.
The change will go into effect on 7 March unless at least a third of the 46 member states of the Council of Europe object, the Bern Convention said.
There have been a number of past calls for the reintroduction of wolves in Ireland, including by the Irish Wildlife Trust and the Green Party.
Former Green Party leader Eamon Ryan made the call in the Dáil while in opposition in 2019.
For farmers, especially those that work in remote and mountainous parts of the country, the idea of reintroducing wolves would be "crazy", according to Vincent Roddy of the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association.
"I know there is a push to use wolves to manage deer, but if you put wolves on a hill, you're making a decision to take cattle and sheep off, because wolves are not going to go for deer when there is easier prey," he said.
Mr Roddy also said that the reintroduced wolf population would quickly explode, as they themselves would have no predator to control them. "It's a crazy idea," he said.
