Dairy farmers received a total of nearly 4 million kronor in compensation in 2023 for cattle that were killed or injured by predators. This is evident in the wildlife report from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). The total is higher than in any other year since the statistics began in 1997.
The most animals – 376 – were killed by wolves, while lynxes killed 110 animals. Bears killed 21 domestic animals, while an eagle killed a sheep on Gotland.
The most money, 1.13 million kronor, was paid out to dairy farmers in the sparsely populated Western Götaland – four out of ten sheep that were killed or injured by wolves were found in the area in 2023, according to Sveriges Radio, P4 Skaraborg.
This is mainly due to the fact that a single wolf pack was able to kill many sheep before it was shot during a protective hunt last summer.
All injuries are inspected by the regional authority's inspection personnel.
