Additional Dog Breeds for Herd Protection in Graubünden
Alpine farmers are now also allowed to purchase, raise, and train their own guard dogs.
Due to the rapidly growing wolf population, Graubünden is relaxing the requirements for livestock guardian dogs.
This means that suitable dogs, regardless of breed, can now be recognized and supported for herd protection.
The canton of Graubünden has the highest wolf density in Switzerland, and the number of establishing wolf packs continues to rise. This is making herd protection increasingly demanding. The federal requirements no longer meet the prevailing conditions in all respects. The canton of Graubünden has therefore developed its own guidelines for herd protection and for the cantonal livestock guardian dog program. These were drawn up by Plantahof in collaboration with the Office for Agriculture and Geoinformation, the Office for Animal Health and Food Safety, the Office for Hunting and Fisheries, and with the involvement of the Federal Office for the Environment.
All livestock guardian dog breeds are permitted
The cantonal livestock guardian dog program creates the opportunity for farmers and operators to have other suitable dogs recognized by the canton for livestock protection, regardless of their breed. This entitles them to the same funding as farmers and operators who use official federal livestock guardian dogs. The federal government excludes all livestock guardian dogs from its funding that do not belong to the breeds Montagne des Pyrénées or Maremmano Abruzzese. However, additional dog breeds are already in use in the canton of Graubünden today. The federal government also does not tolerate livestock keepers or alpine farmers buying, raising, and training their own livestock guardian dogs. Yet this is precisely the kind of personal responsibility that many of those affected wish to take on. The canton of Graubünden enables this participation and supports the keeping of livestock guardian dogs regardless of breed and origin.
A prerequisite for support is the farm-specific livestock protection concept, which is developed and implemented in collaboration with the livestock protection advisory service at Plantahof and the specialist advisory service for livestock guardian dogs, consisting of an external team of experts. Measures are defined for each farm based on the local conditions prevailing on site.
Funding from the canton and the federal government
The canton is supporting the implementation of the cantonal livestock guardian dog program from 2021 to 2026 with 2.495 million francs. The federal government is contributing 1.052 million francs of this amount. Of the total funds, 851,000 francs are earmarked for the specialist advisory service for livestock guardian dogs, and 1.644 million francs for supporting the keeping and deployment of livestock guardian dogs recognized by the canton of Graubünden.
Wolf regulation as an important component of livestock protection
In addition to the personnel deployed across the four offices involved, the canton of Graubünden is investing a considerable financial sum to support livestock protection and livestock guardian dogs. However, the effectiveness of livestock protection measures is called into question if the canton is not also provided with appropriate means for wolf regulation.
More on the subject of recreational hunting: In our dossiers on the criticism of recreational hunting gather fact-checks, analyses and background reports. What the research says about this is shown by Hunting fact-checked: the state of research.
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