There is no peace for Piedmontese hunters. Hunting in Piedmont has been suspended by the TAR following yet another environmentalist appeal regarding the regional hunting calendar.
Yesterday, 8 September 2012, the Piedmont TAR suspended the Hunting Calendar approved last June by the Piedmontese Regional Council which in the next few days is called upon to adapt the legislation in order to allow the official opening of the Hunting Season.
The decision of the TAR adheres to the requests of the environmental associations Lega for the abolition of hunting (Lac), Pro Natura and the Foundation for Ecospirituality, regarding the suspension and subsequent cancellation of the resolution of 11 June with which the Regional Council has approved the Hunting Calendar, and all the deeds of derogation for the wildlife hunting farms and hunting farms.
The judges of the Regional Administrative Court held that the reasons for the environmental appeal were founded on three aspects: the lack of the Wildlife Hunting Plan envisaged by the National Hunting Law; the lack of the Environmental Impact Assessment for hunting activities in the areas of the European “Natura 2000” network established to guarantee the maintenance of natural habitats and threatened or rare animal and plant species; finally, in the preparation of the Hunting Calendar, the mandatory but not binding opinion of ISPRA, the Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, would not have been taken into account.
Obvious satisfaction of the applicants environmental associations; Roberto Piano della Lac has in fact commented on the decision of the TAR, “On Sunday hunters can stay and sleep late. The arrogance of this majority has been punished and we ask that the councilor Claudio Sacchetto resigns both for the sacking of the referendum and for the hunting policy of the Region ”.
Continuing Piano refers to the abolition of the Regional Law on hunting in Piedmont which took place in May to avoid the very expensive abrogative referendum wanted by the environmentalists, stating, "A legislative system has been lacking and with this also a series of regulations for the protection of fauna, such as the criteria for establishing protection oases ".
According to Piero Belletti, of Pro Natura, “for wild animals it is a great victory and a great day. Now we are confidently waiting for Napolitano to dissolve the Regional Council guilty of the theft of democracy last May ”.
Pending the final hearing of the appeal to guarantee the Hunting Season, the Regional Council could appeal to the Council of State or formulate the appropriate changes to the Hunting Calendar that take into account the reasons for the appeal.
The response of the regional councilor Claudio Sacchetto was not long in coming, saying, "It is not a victory but an error of the TAR which in the sentence takes into consideration the opinion of ISPRA two years ago, we have referred to that of this year".
In addition, the commissioner bag does not consider himself worried and reassuring the hunters he explains, “It is a question of changing the dates for some species: pheasant, quail and gray partridge. However, on Monday we will address the issue in detail and we will take action ”.