Ursula von der Leyen has backed a proposal to reintroduce the hunting of wolves by downgrading their protected status, prompting accusations from campaigners that the European Commission chief is sacrificing the animal for political gain.

The fate of Europe’s wolves has become a totem in a broader push by the conservative right, of which von der Leyen is a member, to win back the support of farmers who have turned to more radical movements in recent elections within the EU. The animal is also symbolic in debates about the pursuit of environmental objectives by city-dwelling policymakers at the expense of rural interests.

Von der Leyen, who is expected to announce her intention to run again as commission president after EU-wide elections in June, is under pressure from her European People’s party to show a more friendly face to farmers who argue that they are being penalised by Brussels’ environmental laws.