D: Pietro Fiocchi, a leading entrepreneur in the ammunition and hunting sector in general, hunter, shooter ... what prompted you to embark on an electoral challenge that, in this historical moment, in which everything that revolves around the sector of weapons and hunting in particular is considered, to put it mildly, rather "unpopular"?
A: I decided to take the field because I felt the time had come to break the delay to defend a passion, hunting, a passion handed down for five generations in my family and a category of honest citizens who want to continue to practice their passion. in compliance with the laws that regulate it. The hunt is going through a difficult and critical time, under attack from the environmental animal lobby at all levels and a media-fueled mud machine, without a minimum of contradiction. I could not passively witness the "hunting genocide" taking place. Mine is also a gesture of gratitude to the hunting and shooting world that over time has chosen Fiocchi for its ammunition, for which it seemed only right to reciprocate their trust, adhering to the opportunity that Giorgia Meloni gave me to apply for the European in the FdI List in which they are independent in the North West College which includes: Lombardy, Piedmont, Liguria and Valle D'Aosta.
Q: He presents himself as an independent candidate in the ranks of FdI. A few days ago, a leading exponent of his party had a meeting with an animal rights association, from whose ranks they hastened to issue a press release in which they expressed great satisfaction with the points of convergence. Given that the contents of this meeting are not known in detail, what we ask ourselves is: is there no risk that in the end, the protection and defense of uncomfortable issues such as hunting, will be sacrificed in the name of interests considered to be more politically predominant?
A: Brothers of Italy is the only party that has declared itself in favor of hunting not with words but with deeds, it did so in a special Press Conference in Rome at the Chamber of Deputies in the month of April during which they are was introduced and I took the floor. The individual initiatives must be understood as such and not as a change of course, hunting is not and must not be a "bargaining chip" on the contrary, I have had assurances from the Party that I will have full autonomy in Europe on hunting matters without any conditioning from above .
D: One of the main problems of recognition and acceptance of hunting probably arises from a lack of cultural sharing of values and real naturalistic and environmental knowledge. Could it be an opportunity to begin to dialogue with young people and finally disseminate true and undistorted concepts? Is there a program in the pipeline for this purpose?
A: On the environment and nature, the Hunters do not need lessons from anyone, I consider them fully the "sentinels of the environment" and the "guardians of nature"; on the other hand it could not be otherwise, given that in a degraded and disfigured environment there is no animal life and biodiversity and therefore there can be no hunting activity. So there is a clear interest of the hunter to practice his passion in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way. Personally I am open to confrontation and dialogue as long as I do not find myself in front of rooted forms of integralism that postpone the word "anti" on the hunt, considering the art of hunting a value rich in centuries-old traditions. More than a program or an integrated project, there are commendable initiatives by some Hunting Associations aimed at bringing hunting to the attention of school groups, a way to introduce the figure of the hunter who, at the end of the season, goes in a group to clean the paths and riverbeds or works in voluntary work and in Civil Protection, in the prevention and extinguishing of forest fires. I believe it is necessary to invest resources in communication and scientific research also in order to make an effective contribution to our reasons and to counteract the thought that is hostile to us.
D: In our country, flora and fauna are constantly threatened by invasive alien species. A few months ago the European legislation for the safeguarding and protection of our ecosystem was implemented. How do you see the intervention of hunters in limiting the spread of species that dangerously threaten our biodiversity?
A: The pest is a real emergency, the hunter is not the problem but a resource to solve it, with actions aimed at containing invasive alien species but also at the problems related to the damage caused by the expansion of wildlife. A budget made up of millions of euros in damage and unfortunately also burdened by numerous road accidents with the loss of human lives. Of course, with the current Minister for the Environment, supported by ISPRA and with the solutions they have proposed so far, I don't think I see any concrete results. They need to review their programs and I hope that ISPRA will return to the competence of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.
Q: In your opinion, can hunters and animal rights activists coexist in Italy in compliance with the principle of promoting eco-sustainable tourism of nature and local traditions and becoming a driving force for development and enhancement of rural culture?
A: In these circumstances, with "veganism" expanding, with animal rights activists who preach equality between humans and animals, with their rights included in the Constitution, allow me a provocation: going forward this step, in a world that turns upside down I would not be surprised that in the farmhouses the farmer goes to the stable to sleep and the donkey to the bedroom. I would like to be wrong but reality sees me as pessimistic, yet culture and rural civilization have left us values such as solidarity and subsidiarity and certainly not intransigence and radicalization.
Q: In 6 points, can you list us how you intend to protect and protect a category, that of hunters, which today unfortunately must be safeguarded as a highly threatened species of extinction?
A: They correspond to my schedule commitments that I have put pen to paper on my flyer:
1) enlargement of huntable species;
2) harmonization of hunting seasons;
3) protection of hunts and traditional dishes;
4) protection of the hunting industry and maintenance of lead in hunting ammunition;
5) strengthening of the figure of the hunter at European level as a conscious regulator of the environment and nature;
6) to achieve these objectives I will not work as a “soloist” but I will team up, creating alliances with colleagues on these issues in order to share them with them; this in order to obtain concrete results and a cultural turning point on the role of the hunter.
We thank the candidate Dr. Pietro Fiocchi for his availability and for the completeness of the answers.