The decisions of the Emilia Romagna Region
In recent days the Emilia Romagna region has issued the two expected five-year control plans for the pigeon (or pigeon) and for the corvids (magpie, crow, crow and jay). This was announced by Confagricoltura Piacenza which also highlights the issue of provincial directives to proceed with the activation of actions in farms. “The most important aspect is prevention. The plans are used to protect farms and crops from wildlife – explains Giovanni Marchesi, agronomist and consultant of Confagricoltura Piacenza -. These two floors join the one containing the wild boars and the one for nutrias. This completes the framework for the defense against the four wild species that constitute the greatest source of damage". The last two plans were highly anticipated, having concluded the previous five-year plan.
Lurking diseases
“Pigeons cause problems for farms and health in general – explains Marchesi – pigeon guano carries diseases such as salmonellosis and avian flu, spreads fleas, lice and ticks. It is a species that causes serious damage to farms due to the diseases it carries, it also constitutes a serious problem for structures: by nesting in the attics, it moves the tiles and compromises the roof, clogs the gutters and damages the facades of the buildings and even the monuments, ending up be a problem also for inhabited areas and not just for farms. However, pigeons are very attracted to farms where corn is stored in silos and trenches where they arrive in large numbers to feed in abundance. The corvids, on the other hand, prefer the open spaces of the fields and feed very willingly on the sprouts of the seeds just born after sowing (corn, soy, sunflower) as well as on salad and vegetables while in autumn they move to vineyards and orchards. Since they live in flocks they are capable of causing losses of product, and therefore enormous economic damage".
Training and more
The provincial police are responsible for the prevention actions, to which the questions must be forwarded in order to be able to activate the control actions. “These are simple requests that the owners of farms must carry out at least 48 hours before implementing control actions, communicating that they have already put in place deterrent and prevention measures and asking for the authorization to proceed with the felling. In the application it must already be indicated who will carry out the action and how it will take place. The control intervention can in fact be carried out with the use of firearms or with the use of traps”. Hunters with a hunting license, insurance and after having attended a specific training course can carry out the killings. The owner or lessee of the fund can also proceed independently provided that he too has a hunting license, insurance and has attended the appropriate course. In this regard, it should be noted that the competent bodies are organizing editions of these training activities in recent days. Finally, the provincial police and the local police can also operate directly (source: Confagricoltura Piacenza).