Liechtenstein is closely aligned with Swiss enforcement practice in both large carnivore management and livestock protection. The livestock owner is generally responsible for livestock protection measures on domestic and alpine pastures. Livestock owners in Liechtenstein as well as alpine cooperatives receive free herd protection advice in Liechtenstein. This is carried out by specialists from the Herd Protection Office of the Agricultural Center St. Gallen (LZSG) and is individually tailored to the farm.

The most important and most common herd protection measure is an electrified fence with a minimum height of 90 cm (as a basic safety measure, fences with a height of at least 105 cm are recommended, especially on slopes) and a minimum voltage of 3,000 volts. The lowest wire should be no more than 15 cm from the ground and should not touch the ground or grass (mow out or cut free the vegetation). Depending on the situation, willow netting or five stranded wires are used. Knotted fences can be fitted with two additional live wires in accordance with the information sheet.

Appointments for herd protection advice can be arranged via the Office for the Environment Olivier Nägele (+423 236 64 02) or directly via the LZSG, Sven Baumgartner (+41 79 431 73 85).

Subsidies in Liechtenstein are based on the Ordinance on the Prevention of and Compensation for Damage Caused by Specifically Protected Animal Species (VVSV).

In Liechtenstein, the following contributions are paid towards livestock protection measures:

• CHF 2.- per running meter of pasture netting (blue and white, minimum height 105 cm);
• CHF 0.80 per linear meter per year for pasture netting with a minimum height of 105 cm or pasture fencing with at least five strands, due to the difficulty of maintenance;
• 50% of the costs for electrifying pasture fences with stop wires, shelter wires, or jump wires;
• 100% of the costs for pasture fence energizers, up to a maximum of CHF 960.- per unit;

The AU generally recommends not using orange pasture nets, as these are difficult to see for both livestock and wild animals. Contrasting colors (blue and white) are recommended.

Orange willow nets can therefore no longer be remunerated with immediate effect.
Please refer to the information sheet "Wolf protection fences on small livestock pastures" under "Overview of the most important information sheets for livestock farmers".

Wolf packs have been established for several years, particularly in the neighboring cantons of Graubünden and St. Gallen. As a result, wolves can be expected in Liechtenstein at any time and in any location. For you as an animal owner, this means that the reasonable herd protection measures listed below should be implemented.

For sheep and goats, New World camelids (llamas and alpacas), free-range pigs, and deer in enclosures, electric fences are the most important measure for protecting livestock.

The electric fence serves several functions:    
- Preventing your own livestock or pets from escaping  
- Preventing large predators from entering the herd     
- Preventing the learning effect that livestock represent easily available food for wolves → negative conditioning through electric shock

In the absence of wolves, it was not always necessary—depending on the animal species—to maintain a minimum voltage of 3,000 volts or more to prevent one’s own animals from escaping the fencing system. Given the current wolf pressure, it is crucial to have both high-quality fencing material and a sufficiently powerful electric fence energizer.

When wolves are present, they often exhibit exploratory behavior at fences, looking for places to crawl under or through. Sometimes wolves also try to dig their way under a fence. Individual wolves learn to overcome livestock protection measures by jumping over a fence in order to reach livestock; these wolves are classified as “damage-causing” and may be culled under certain conditions (see Chapter “4.5 Measures against individual damage-causing wolves” and “4.6 Measures against wolf packs in cases of major damage or significant threat” in the Liechtenstein Wolf Concept).

The Liechtenstein Livestock Guarding Dogs Directive regulates the requirements for keeping livestock guarding dogs subsidized by the Principality of Liechtenstein as well as the corresponding contribution amounts.

The mandate to develop this directive is based on Art. 6 of the Ordinance on the Prevention of and Compensation for Damage Caused by Specifically Protected Animal Species (VVSV).
The directive was approved by the government on July 11, 2023.

In principle, the implementation of herd protection measures is the responsibility of each livestock owner. Sheep and goats are particularly at risk from attacks by wolves; more than 90% of all wolf attacks affect these two animal species. The most important and most common herd protection measure is an electrified fence with a minimum height of 90 cm (as a basic safety measure, fences with a height of at least 105 cm are recommended, especially on slopes) and a minimum voltage of 3,000 volts. The lowest wire should be no more than 15 cm from the ground and should not touch the ground or grass (mow out or cut free the vegetation). Depending on the situation, willow nets or at least four stranded wires are used.

The following subsidies are available to support herd protection measures for small livestock:

• CHF 2.- per linear meter of pasture netting (blue and white, minimum height 105 cm);
• CHF 0.80 per linear meter per year for pasture netting with a minimum height of 105 cm or pasture fencing with at least five strands, due to the difficulty of maintenance;
• 50% of the costs for electrifying pasture fences with stop wires, shelter wires, or jump wires;
• 100 % of the costs of pasture fencing equipment, up to a maximum of CHF 960.- per device

- Electrified fences are also considered reasonable for New World camelids (llamas and alpacas), free-range pigs and deer in enclosures.

- In the case of cattle and horses, it is considered reasonable to monitor the mother animal and her young during the birth process, to keep them together on supervised pastures for the first two weeks of their lives and to remove afterbirths or dead young animals immediately.

- In principle, all farm animals that are kept in stables or on paved outdoor areas on the premises of the farm are considered to be protected.

As part of the project "Fence effectiveness for protection against wolves", a study was carried out with enclosure wolves. The results of the project were realized in the film "Wolf protection fence for small livestock".

Film "Wolf protection fence for small livestock"

The contents listed in the information sheets are exemplary recommendations. A herd protection consultation is recommended for measures tailored to your own farm.