Municipalities and restricted areas
Since the protest of November 6, which brought hundreds of breeders and farmers from all over Tuscany to Piazza del Giglio in Lucca to ask for the implementation of the interventions and measures provided for by the commissioner's ordinance to stop the contagion, Cases of infected wild boars in Tuscany have tripledThe number of wild boars tested positive for ASF upon discovery of carcasses or following culling has increased from 88 to 268 in three months. Forty-four municipalities, including Massa Carrara, Lucca, and Pistoia, are included in the restricted zones established by the national emergency plan. This vast perimeter is where wild boar depopulation activities are proceeding slowly, severely straining local farms and agritourism businesses, which are suffering significant damage from the wild animals. Coldiretti Lucca highlighted the dire situation and the disappointment of the agricultural community following a meeting at the Prefecture in Pistoia with Special Commissioner Giovani Filippini and all the regional bodies involved in the eradication plan.
Difficulties and slowdowns
The finger is pointed at bureaucracy and poor coordination in Tuscany, which, in practice, translates into difficulties and delays in implementing the commissioner's ordinances by the actors involved in the national health emergency: the Tuscany Region, the Local Health Authority, the Province, and the Territorial Hunting Areas. These delays prevent the virus from overwhelming the rest of the region and even key economic, employment, and tourism sectors, such as Cinta Senese PDO and Prosciutto Toscano PDO. "We need to step up our efforts to depopulate wild boars throughout the region, including in protected park areas; farmers and ranchers are paying a very high price in terms of damage to agricultural production and the risk of contagion in pig farms. What is clear is the difficulty regional institutions are having in implementing the necessary measures to reduce the number of wild boars, the main vectors of the virus, according to the directives of the commissioner's ordinances," denounces Andrea Elmi, president of Coldiretti Lucca. "The example of the capture cages is also emblematic. We requested them be installed, in collaboration with Commissioner Filippini's office, on available farms. These cages, along with the essential work of hunters, were intended to reduce the burden of wild boar presence in the countryside. They were installed on the farms in December, but are still not operational today, as effective management protocols are lacking. This is a complete waste of time; we are very disappointed and do not rule out further mobilization."
Heavy limitations
According to Coldiretti, the expectations of many farmers and ranchers in Tuscany have been disappointed. For over two years, they have been forced to live with severe restrictions on livestock farming and difficulties in agricultural and tourism activities. In municipalities included in the restricted zones, in addition to the requirement to comply with strict health regulations for managing livestock and moving domestic pigs, restrictions are also in place for outdoor activities in the woods. The climate of exasperation and frustration in these areas, where wild boar numbers are now out of control, will lead to further protests by Coldiretti, which is currently in permanent mobilization (source: Coldiretti).
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