SW New Mexico News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Monday, April 17, 2023, Rep. Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) announced that he is introducing the bipartisan Wolf and Livestock Fairness, or WOLF Act, with Representative Greg Stanton (AZ-04) to fully compensate ranchers who suffer livestock losses due to Mexican Gray Wolf predation. Currently, ranchers are compensated for 75 percent of the value of cattle killed by gray wolves. The gray wolf populations in New Mexico and Arizona are federally protected as an endangered species. This bill increases compensation for ranchers to 100 percent of the value of cattle loss and compensates them for decreased herd sizes. 

“This bipartisan bill strikes the right balance to fully compensate ranchers for livestock loss and decreases in herd size due to wolf depredation in New Mexico and Arizona,”  said Rep. Vasquez. “Apex predators like the Mexican gray wolf, native to New Mexico, belong on the land, but have also caused our ranchers significant hardship. I’m committed to supporting common sense and bipartisan solutions, which is why I’m proud to have worked across the aisle to introduce the Wolf and Livestock Fairness Act. This legislation will provide the necessary compensation to ranchers who depend on their cattle to feed their families and the nation.”  

New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau President Larry Reagan said, “The population of Mexican wolves continues to grow while New Mexico’s ranchers are left behind. Current depredation programs such as the Livestock Indemnity Program and Wolf Livestock Loss Depredation Grant Program fail to make ranchers whole from the involuntary pressures and conflicts resulting from the growing Mexican wolf presence. We applaud Congressman Vasquez for his work on this effort to ensure depredation programs better serve our state’s ranchers by paying them a fairer rate for losses to their livelihoods.”

Representative Vasquez is committed to remaining accessible and working to support farmers, farmworkers, and ranchers as a member of the House Agriculture Committee. During the most recent district work period, Rep. Vasquez met with the Catron County Manager, Commissioner, Sheriff, Treasurer, Assessor and Finance Director to discuss working together to provide resources for ranchers affected by the Mexican Gray Wolves and how to best ensure the reintroduced population can coexist with residents. Rep. Vasquez is proud to officially announce the bipartisan legislation with Representatives August Pfluger (TX-11) and David Schweikert (AZ-01). 

Catron County Commissioner and rancher, Audrey McQueen, said “As both a County Commissioner and rancher, I can attest to the heavy impacts wolf depredations have had on our ranching community.  Receiving compensation for our stock losses has been tedious and frustrating. We applaud Congressman Vasquez for his legislation that would help our ranchers receive timely compensation for wolf kills.”

Original source can be found here.