The Government announced new rules for the allocation of compensation to livestock farmers facing Iberian wolf attacks. The Ministry of Environment and Energy and the Ministry of Agriculture and Sea signed a joint order to accelerate and simplify administrative and financial procedures related to damages caused by the Iberian wolf, establishing a maximum 20-day deadline for the completion of compensation processes. This measure, which aims to provide "a faster and fairer response" to farmers, will only take effect from January 1, 2027, to allow for the adaptation of technical, IT and financial procedures at ICNF and IFAP. Maximum compensation values per animal have also recently been updated and the situations eligible for compensation have been expanded, including cases of missing animals and animals less than one month old.
The executive acknowledges that compensation processes can currently "take months," which harms the populations living in territories where the Iberian wolf exists and exacerbates the economic impact of attacks, particularly on smaller farms and extensive production systems. The Iberian wolf is a species protected in Portugal since 1988 and classified as Endangered of extinction. The Government considers that delays in payments may harm the social acceptance of the species' presence and, consequently, its conservation.
The announcement came just days after a protest by livestock farmers in the Miranda Highlands. More than 50 people linked to the agricultural sector participated on September 6 in a demonstration during the traditional Fair of Naso, in the village of Póvoa, in Miranda do Douro. According to the Palombar association, some of the protests ended up being directed at the association itself, with members of its team being "surrounded by demonstrators" and subjected to insults and threats. Palombar clarified that it has no responsibility for the allocation of support, with ICNF being the sole entity responsible for these processes.
On December 5, 2025, the Government approved the Alcateia Program 2025-2035, a document through which the country intends to achieve a favorable conservation status for the Iberian wolf. In Portugal, wolves were present throughout the mainland territory until the beginning of the 20th century, but their distribution area was confined to areas of the North and Center of the country, currently corresponding to about 20% of the original distribution. According to the Iberian Wolf Census 2019/2021, 58 packs were detected and the population is estimated to be around 300 animals, representing approximately 15% of the Iberian population.
