Sheep farmer fined over wolf poison recipe Facebook post

A 69-year-old hobby sheep farmer was convicted twice at Innsbruck Regional Court on Wednesday over posts on his Facebook page, ORF Tirol reported. He had published a recipe for poison that causes wolves and dogs to suffer an agonising death.

The judge said at the start of the trial that the defendant was entitled to have an opinion about wolves in the Alpine region, but not to call for crimes to be committed.

The farmer, a committed opponent of wolves in the Alps, had also posted a speech by MP Franz Hörl of the Austrian People’s Party at a farmers’ meeting in Westendorf in August 2024. Hörl said in connection with wolves: “Shoot what you can, bury what you can.” He was tried over the statement last year and acquitted.

Before Wednesday’s trial, the court had ordered the defendant to attend a course called “Dialogue instead of hate online”.

The course appeared to have had little effect. The court sentenced the hobby sheep farmer to an unconditional fine of 1,140 euros for incitement to commit a crime. The verdict is not yet legally final.