Roughly translated by TWIN Observer
Predator Attacks can be costly – but to prevent attacks is also expensive. Now research suggests that farmers should receive compensation if they have animals in predator-proof areas.
Since 2011, an average of 1.5 million SEK per year is paid to farmers who have animals injured or killed by predators. Now, even the indirect costs of predator attacks have been investigated at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).
For sheep farmers who were involved in attacks, it is an average of 19,500 SEK in additional costs per year, writes four researchers at SLU in an article in the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet.
But even for farmers who have not been affected, but animals are in predator-proof areas, there are rising costs. For a sheep farmer costs step up on the average of 6700 SEK per year, shows a SLU survey of farmers with livestock.
“All maintain their fences. But those living in predator-proof areas may make more effort to maintain fencing and to take in the animals at night,” says Katarina Elofsson, associate professor in the Department of Economics at SLU, to TT.
Not only does prevention cost – animals milk less, have fewer kids and produce less meat.
The researchers suggest that a flat-rate payment based on the number of animals, go out to farmers affected by attacks and to farmers with animals in predator-proof areas.