WOLF Act Guarantees Full Market Value Payout for Livestock Killed by Mexican Gray Wolves

The “Wolf and Livestock Fairness Act of 2025,” or WOLF Act, is a targeted piece of legislation aimed squarely at helping livestock producers who deal with losses caused by Mexican gray wolves. It does two main things: it boosts the payment farmers receive for lost animals and creates a new system for emergency relief.

The New Math on Lost Livestock

If you’re a rancher, the first change is the most straightforward: the WOLF Act boosts the federal indemnity payment for eligible livestock killed by Mexican gray wolves to 100 percent of the market value of that animal (Sec. 2). Before this, payments often covered less than the full value. This change means if a wolf takes a cow, the farmer gets paid the full price that cow would have fetched at market, determined by the Secretary of Agriculture based on the date of the attack. For producers operating on thin margins, this full compensation can make a huge difference in recovering from losses.

Emergency Relief: Beyond the Kill Count

The second part of the bill establishes a mandatory annual emergency relief program using existing funds to help producers deal with the non-lethal impacts of wolves (Sec. 3). This is a big deal because the cost of having wolves around goes far beyond just the animals that are killed. Wolves can cause stress, leading to lower birth rates (calves per cow) and forcing ranchers to spend significantly more on things like fencing, specialized labor, and monitoring.

Within 180 days of the bill passing, the Secretary of Agriculture must create a formula for these payments. This isn't a random handout; the formula must factor in several specifics about the producer’s situation in that state, including:

• The size of the herd.
• The average number of confirmed wolf kills in the state.
• The average increase in management costs over the last five years due to wolves.
• The average drop in herd birth rates over the last five years due to wolves.

This means the payment isn't just about the body count; it recognizes the real-world operational costs of coexisting with a protected predator. For example, a rancher who has spent thousands of dollars installing specialized fladry (a type of non-lethal fencing) or hiring extra hands to monitor the herd will finally see those increased management costs factored into their federal relief.

Implementation and Accountability

To ensure this relief program is built on solid ground, the Secretary must consult with the Farm Service Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (Sec. 3). These agencies hold the data on everything from animal health to confirmed wolf sightings and compensation history, making their input essential for creating a fair formula.

Finally, the bill introduces a requirement for transparency: the Secretary must report annually to the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, detailing exactly how much emergency relief was distributed and how many producers received it. This ensures that the program’s effectiveness and reach are tracked, keeping the process accountable to Congress and the public.