PARIS, Feb 20 (Reuters) - French authorities have allowed the culling of around 200 wolves as packs are spreading in farmlands and roaming near large cities, Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard said on Friday.
A little more than 1,000 wolves are present in France and her services have increased the limit to the culling to 21% - so a little more than 200 - from an earlier 19%, and it could be increased again to 23%, she said.
"The wolf is causing increasing damage to our livestock farms, plunging farmers into a state of stress and even terrible pain," she told the French radio station France Inter.
Last year, an acrimonious debate pitting farmers against animal protection groups over wolves, whose numbers, as well as attacks on livestock, are on the rise, ended with a vote in the European Parliament in favour of farmers.
European lawmakers last May agreed to downgrade the wolf's status to "protected" from "strictly protected", which means EU countries can allow wolf hunting, but must still take steps to stop the animals becoming endangered.
The European Commission, which proposed the change, said it was based on an in-depth analysis and reasoning, including the fact that wolf populations are increasing across the EU, with around 20,300 animals present in 2023, which has led to increased damage to livestock.
In France, populations are on the rise and the packs are spreading in areas they left centuries ago, retreating to remote areas, such as some isolated valleys in the Alps.
Genevard gave an example of the central region of Haute-Marne, just 60 kilometres (37.3 miles) from cities, such as Nancy, Dijon and Troyes, where farmers reported 850 sheep were killed by wolves last year.
(Reporting by Inti LandauroEditing by Tomasz Janowski)
