The European Union proposal was adopted after farmers — who have been increasingly angered by attacks on livestock by packs of wolves — pushed to allow culls.

Wolves in Europe will be less protected from hunting from 2025, after a majority of European countries on Tuesday accepted a proposal to downgrade their status due to their growing number and their impact on agriculture and farming livestock.

The European Commission will propose next year relaxing the rules to safeguard the wolf, after an international committee decided to downgrade its protection status. On Tuesday, the standing committee of the Council of Europe’s Bern Convention,