The Liguria Region has approved the law proposal that makes some changes to the regional legislation governing hunting activities.
With 27 votes in favor, 5 against and 2 abstentions (Manti del PD and Conti Federation of the left), the bill 220 "Amendments to the regional law 1 July 1994, n.29 (regional rules for the protection of homeothermic fauna and for hunting sampling) ”, first signatory Francesco Bruzzone.
The amendment was approved (Bruzzone, Garibaldi, Chiesa, Ferrando, Cavarra) which more specifically regulates fixed postings. The law, among other new elements introduced, provides that, in the event of a suspension of the effectiveness of the hunting calendar, during the hunting season itself, the Regional Council, having consulted the competent council commission, is authorized to approve a new Hunting Calendar. , referred to the current year, in a very tight time frame. Approval is expected within ten days from the date of the suspension measure.
It is established that the weekly hunting days are three chosen by the hunter. Two days a week are added for hunting from stalking to migratory wildlife in the period between 1 October and 30 November.
Measures are envisaged to ensure greater protection of live calls. The new regional law, after consulting the Regional Hunting Wildlife Commission and ISPRA, establishes that the Hunting Calendar has an annual and not a triennial value, as was the case in the past.
Francesco Bruzzone illustrated the majority report: "The present bill intends to produce some changes to the Regional Law 29 of 94 introduces improvements to the rules for the detention of live calls, authorizes the council to urgently and quickly approve any transitional calendar in case of suspension of the effectiveness of the current calendar and establishes that the hunting days are at least 3 weekly at the hunter's choice. The work carried out during the meetings of the Council Commission also produced adequate improvements to the initial text. I therefore hope that the law will be quickly and widely approved ».
Lorenzo Pellerano, minority report: “In recent months we have engaged the production activities commission with proposals on hunting. Credit is due to the commitment of the councilors, but one would think that there are more important issues for the lives of citizens especially in these times, and perhaps the majority of Ligurians are not interested in this issue. There are other priorities on which to commit the commissions of the Regional Council. On the specific issue we reiterate that we are not against hunting, but we must respect the rules. We have often voted in this chamber for laws which were then rejected by the TAR, the Constitutional Court and the Council of State. We need to make legitimate calendars, which do not risk being challenged ”.
The following intervened in the general discussion:
Valter Ferrando who announced the favorable vote: "These measures are always subjected to the caudine forks of the Tar and this law protects the hunting activity from long suspensions".
Gino Garibaldi, who announced a favorable vote, added: “Hunting is an important issue for those who live in the hinterland, because hunters guard the territory”.
Critics of the issue were the environmentalists of the Liguria Environmentalist Coordination who, even before the vote, defined the changes to the hunting law as a “little parachute”.
In fact, a note from the environmental association read, “Many Ligurian regional councilors are so sure of the illegitimacy of the“ 2012/13 Regional Hunting Calendar? (the rules for the next hunting season, which begins on September 16), whose vote is scheduled for tomorrow, August 7 in the Regional Council, which in today's session take care to vote, as an appetizer, a little "parachute".
In the text of the bill no. 220 in vote this morning in via Fieschi it is in fact foreseen that in the event of any appeals and suspension by the TAR of the hunting calendar, no longer the Regional Council but only the Council is obliged to quickly launch a buffer measure within a maximum of 10 days, to ensure the continuity of the shots.
"It is the blatant demonstration that hunting in Liguria for years has been carried out in contempt of the scientific opinions of the Higher Institute for Environmental Research and the rulings of the Constitutional Court", say the Ligurian environmentalists of WWF, Italia Nostra, Lac and Enpa .
With the sentences n. 105 and n. 106, published and filed on April 26, 2012, the Constitutional Court has in fact:
- canceled the 2011-14 three-year hunting calendar of the Liguria Region (which would still be valid for the next two hunting seasons), both because it was approved by regional law (the trick of the law-provision to avoid appeals to the TAR is illegitimate, but it takes instead an administrative act) and because it is valid for three years rather than annually, as established by the state hunting law 157/92.
- canceled the illegitimate possibility for the provinces to allow ungulates to hunt in the snow in the Apennine territories of Liguria.
In early June, Ispra communicated its mandatory opinion to the Liguria Region on the draft of the next hunting calendar, criticizing - among other things - the excessive use of the exceptions for hunting days in the months of October and November (that of migrations), arguing that according to the precautionary principle five hunting days per week would be too many, instead of the canonical three days which would be the main indication established by state law 157/92. The hunting periods for thrushes and woodcocks are also too long for Ispra.
Environmentalists also criticize the work of the IV Council Commission for "productive activities", which - in times of economic crisis - in 2012 alone dedicated 8 sessions out of 24 to the theme of bird hunting.
Sources: Press Office of the Liguria Regional Council and Liguria Environmentalist Coordination