Wolf: A Relaxation of Regulations on Defense Shootings to Ease High

We are a few weeks away from releasing the sheep for grazing. And starting this Wednesday, April 1st, new provisions to relax defense shooting are coming into effect, according to a decree issued by the government in February. Details.

It is a decree from February 23, 2026 that will take effect on April 1 in Corrèze, a department where the presence of wolves is active. This decree provides for a certain relaxation of certain rules, while affirming that hunting wolves is prohibited. This first concerns the quota of wolf removals, which has been revised upwards, from 19 to 21% for 2026. This means that in the national territory, the number of wolves that can be removed is 227.

Another change lies in the relaxation of defense shootings. If before, a prefectural authorization was necessary, now a “simple” declaration on the simplified procedures website will be necessary to carry out this defense shooting. “This breeder can shoot himself, or have a hunter shoot under very specific conditions, it is not done just like that,” reminds the prefect of Corrèze Vincent Berton. “A wolf must be near the flock and represent a threat to the flock,” explains the prefect, “especially the breeder should not shoot with a night vision rifle, it must be done under very strict conditions”. This concerns notably the 12 municipalities of circle 1 on the Millevaches plateau, whose map has been communicated.

The third important development is the possibility of carrying out removal shootings, explains the prefect. “That is to say, not only protection shots, but dynamic shots in very specific areas,” but for this, it will be exceptionally granted by the prefect in agreement with the coordinating prefect of the wolf plan.

This relaxation follows demands made by agricultural unions. “The protection of livestock in Haute-Corrèze is essential because it structures the economy of this region. This new system also reconciles balance with the protection of a protected species, the wolf,” adds Vincent Berton.

This winter, bovine predations have been “limited, even if it is already too much,” emphasizes the prefect, who reports four to five bovine predations. Vincent Berton also points out that the state services will be “very vigilant” in the Millevaches plateau area.