Barcelona - European lawmakers voted on Thursday to relegate protections of wolves in 27 EU states to win the victory of farmers over environmentalists.

At the European Parliamentary Conference held in Strasbourg, nearly two-thirds of the people voted to change the wolf's identity from "strictly protected" to "protected", with 377 votes to 162 votes, lasting 37 abstentions.

Centre and right-wing groups celebrate the vote.

"Farmers can sigh now," said Herbert Dorfmann, a spokesman for the European BJP. "This is amazing news."

Environmental groups criticized the decision as a politically motivated rather than a scientific basis.

“It’s been a sad day for biodiversity and wildlife,” said Léa Badoz of Eurogroup Animals. Joanna Swabe, a spokesman for the Humane World, called on various governments to increase national protection for wolves.

Jutta Paulus, a politician from the Green Party of Parliament, said the campaign aims to reduce the protection of wolves “protection borrowed from Donald Trump’s script” and “ignoring scientific evidence and attack legislation that have proven to be decades without clear gains rather than cheap popular scores.”

Tuesday's vote was the last huge obstacle before the measure became EU law. Now, the European Council may quickly pass the Central Habitat Directive Act and take effect in 27 member states.

Once considered a necessary condition for threats to apex predators, restrictions on wolve hunting in the past few years have lost public support as many EU environmental rules and regulations have been under pressure in recent years. Populism and extremist parties criticized these measures as thought by urban elites and knew little about rural life.

Farmers in many member states increasingly angered the attacks on livestock by wolves thriving in woods and fields close to agricultural land.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has provided top support for mitigating the political campaign to kill wolves. Von der Leyen is a fan of Marton and a pony named Dolly was killed by a wolf three years ago.

Last year, more than 50 European countries from Türkiye to Iceland voted to change the convention known as Bern to reduce protection of wolves.

Experts and environmental groups estimate that Europe may have up to 19,000 wolves, with a large population roaming in Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania and Spain. After being nearly wiped out in the 20th century, their number is estimated to have increased by at least 25% over the past decade.

Plans around the world to protect wolves have been proven to benefit local ecosystems. Yellowstone National Park in the United States said the reintroduction of wolves in 1995 led to a better regulatory food chain that helped cause bumps in forest cover and animal populations. However, American countries like Wyoming and Montana have passed similar bills that allow more killing of wolves, as in Europe, politics confuses stirring farmers with security issues.

“Wolves are crucial to healthy ecosystems, but today’s vote sees them as political issues, not ecological assets,” said Ilaria di Silvestre, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the International Animal Welfare Foundation. “The EU used to be proud to lead nature conservation. Now we see important species that are sacrificed for short-term political benefits like wolves, which will not benefit anyone.”