Federal Government Strengthens Herd Protection for the 2022 Alpine Season

The number of wolves and wolf packs in Switzerland is increasing.

To reduce damage to livestock, the federal government is making additional financial resources available for herd protection measures during the 2022 alpine season. Livestock owners and alpine farmers will have the opportunity to submit applications to the cantons for funding of emergency measures. The federal government will subsequently reimburse the cantons for 80% of the costs.

For several years, the wolf population and its distribution across Switzerland have been growing. As a result, there are also more encounters between wolves and livestock, which can lead to increased damage to livestock, particularly during the summer alpine season. Herd protection measures make an important contribution to preventing such damage. To support traditional alpine farming, the federal government has allocated additional funding totalling CHF 5.7 million to strengthen herd protection. This funding is intended to finance a range of emergency measures.

The Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), together with the relevant federal agencies and the cantons, and in consultation with agricultural stakeholders, has defined a set of measures. These include co-financing auxiliary staff who support herders in implementing herd protection measures, as well as funding for mobile accommodation on remote alpine pastures. Alpine farmers can submit corresponding applications to the relevant cantonal authorities. The cantons review the applications and can request that the federal government reimburse 80% of the costs. The emergency measures additionally approved by the federal government for the 2022 alpine summer complement the established herd protection measures (livestock guardian dogs, fencing) and will be incorporated into the existing herd protection implementation guidelines.

To better support the enforcement of livestock protection and wolf management, the FOEN will supplement the Wolf Concept Switzerland and the livestock protection enforcement guide with additional instruments before the alpine season — for example, with a list of criteria for assessing which alpine pastures can reasonably be protected and which cannot.

Parliament is currently drafting a new proposal to amend the hunting law, which is intended to allow for more flexible management of wolves.

Dossier: Wolf in Switzerland: Facts, Politics, and the Limits of Hunting