Mantua - Confagricoltura: The plan of the Province approved in December has been contested. In the viewfinder the choice of areas and the protection zone along the Po.
Illegitimate and, therefore, to be redone. This is the cutting judgment of Confagricoltura on the wildlife hunting plan unanimously approved by the Province in December, and against which it presented two appeals to the TAR.
With the first the agricultural organization of via Fancelli asks for the cancellation of the resolution of the provincial council which gave the definitive go-ahead to the hunting fauna plan; the second aims at canceling the resolution of the council approving the counter-arguments of the Province to the observations presented to the management plan of the special protection area of Viadana, Portiolo, San Benedetto Po and Ostiglia.
A full-blown offensive by Confagricoltura against Palazzo di Bagno which, however, President Sergio Cattelan would like to point out, "cannot be connected to the next elections, but is only a trade union defense action for the category".
The plan, according to Confagricoltura, must be canceled because, first of all, the categories concerned, such as farmers, hunters and environmentalists, were not adequately consulted for its drafting. This would have induced the Province to indicate the land on which to exercise the hunting activity that farmers consider, instead, of value for the crops in place.
Furthermore, and this is the main reason for the agricultural organization, to carry out the strategic environmental assessment the Province has nominated three of its officials for the cross-examination.
Confagricoltura is also targeting the failure to indicate the criteria followed for identifying the areas on which to hunt. The failure to indicate the criteria for establishing any damage caused by game and hunters in the restocking and capture areas also depends on this.
Another point of conflict is the establishment of the provincial wildlife observatory, a very important body for the management of the plan. Confagricoltura disputes the appointment of the expert by the Province. Palazzo di Bagno had asked agricultural organizations to come to an agreement and to indicate a name. Confagricoltiura, Cia and Coldiretti, however, were unable to find an agreement and each indicated its own representative.
The Province has drawn the name by lot and the chosen one was the expert indicated by Coldiretti. Confagricoltura is not there. In the second appeal, the Province's counter-arguments to the observations presented by Confagricoltura on the Viadana-San Benedetto-Portiolo-Ostiglia special protection area, still under examination by the Region, were contested. According to the appeal, that SPA identified along the Po river has become a real natural park of 7.800 hectares: a restricted area that is too large, while that worthy of protection would be just one third.
by Sandro Mortari
Source: La Gazzetta di Mantova