Who submitted the question
A question for an immediate response signed by DORI, ZANELLA, BONELLI, BORRELLI, FRATOIANNI, GHIRRA, GRIMALDI, MARI, PICCOLOTTI and ZARATTI has been submitted to the Chamber of Deputies to the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry. Francesco Lollobrigida Regarding the recent amendment to Article 21, paragraph 3, of Law No. 157 of 1992, introduced by the "Mountain" Bill, allowing hunting in mountain passes along bird migration routes. Referring specifically to the Lombardy Region, which, by implementing the amendment, authorized hunting near mountain passes, the questioners ask whether the Ministry "intends to take urgent action to ban hunting on Alpine passes, in accordance with European regulations and in the name of protecting biodiversity and the national wildlife heritage." In response, Agriculture Minister Lollobrigida emphasized that "contrary to what the questioner suggests, EU legislation does not establish a general ban on hunting on mountain passes along migration routes.
The differences between 1992 and today
The Birds Directive requires Member States to protect birdlife during migration, but it fails to mention the concept of mountain passes, introduced by national legislation. This, in part due to a certain regulatory uncertainty, has led to fragmented and often inconsistent delineation of hunting-free zones, not always based on up-to-date scientific data, and often based on inconsistent criteria. A general hunting ban in such passes, as established by the previous Article 21 of Law 157/1992, could have been justified when introduced, or at a time of extremely high hunting pressure, involving generalist and less specialized hunting, mostly targeting small migratory birds. This is no longer the case.
Hunting pressure has changed
The environmental situation has changed: hunting pressure has decreased, the number of huntable species has decreased, and the need for wildlife management and control has increased. In this context, hunting has also become a tool for bioregulation, useful in addressing the growing ungulate population, a true environmental emergency with enormous costs for the state budget. The parliamentary initiative that led to the introduction of Article 15 of the Mountain Zones Law addresses precisely these critical issues. On the one hand, it provides for a better definition of mountain passes, where hunting must be limited due to their specific morphological characteristics. On the other, for maximum certainty and transparency, it provides for a cartographic identification of these passes by interministerial decree. ISPRA and the Technical Wildlife Hunting Committee are of course being consulted in this regard. The decree will then be the subject of an agreement between the Conference and the Regions, in which your political party is represented and may adopt positions different from those assumed to date. Special protection zones have been established in the designated border crossings, and hunting is permitted within the limits and conditions established by the Regions, with a view to protecting migratory and sedentary birds. We believe that, from a constitutional perspective, this amendment to national legislation constitutes an objective breach of the law," the Minister concluded.
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