The TAR Toscano confirms the woodcock al 31st January. The hunt for Lapwing and Pochard has been suspended. The ordinance n ° 00158 published yesterday by the second section of the Tuscan TAR on the use of the hunting calendar advanced by the environmental and animal welfare associations, leaves us partially satisfied. This, even if the historical result achieved on the timing of the sampling of the Woodcock al species remains undeniable 31 January 2020 confirmed by the ruling of the Regional Administrative Court. A result certainly not taken for granted given the legal battle last year and the repercussions on legal certainty denied to Tuscan hunters.
The administrative judges accepted the arguments provided by the Tuscany Region and the substantial additional reasons for the cross-appeal presented by Federcaccia Nazionale and by Federcaccia Toscana on 25 October 2019 for the declaration of illegitimacy, expertly represented by the lawyer Alberto Maria Bruni. Additional reasons expressly referred to and cited in the ordinance and which have contributed significantly to the positive results achieved. In fact, the TAR states that the Tuscany Region "has fulfilled its motivational burden in order to overcome the indications contained in the Ispra opinion, on the basis of reliable and updated monitoring and further scientific studies and new opinions ... omitted ... and therefore demonstrated the reliability of the identification of the first ten days of February of the pre-nuptial migration ... omitted ... and to establish the closure of the hunt on 31 January 2020 ″.
Among the studies taken as a reference there is the one produced by the Federcaccia Migratory Birds Office in collaboration with the Association Friends of Scolopax focused on the study, observation and analysis of Woodcock migration through satellite monitoring and on the comparison and analysis of data relating to the culling. A tangible demonstration of how indispensable research and data collection work is for the defense of hunting calendars and against continuous attacks by animal rights activists in the courts. A commitment repeatedly recalled and actively exercised by Confederation of Tuscan Hunters also with the “Data from the sky” project currently developed by numerous surveyors and collaborators. Years of work and economic and intellectual investments are now producing the first important results. The facts and judgments speak for themselves!
Those who still persist in re-proposing sterile polemics and purely façade operations do not take into account that hunters know how to recognize the merits of those who in unsuspecting times worked on these bases and produced concrete studies and research. Our work and our commitment continues. Unfortunately, the shadows of the sentence require a further effort to overcome the open criticalities. In fact, we remind you that with regard to the Pochard and Lapwing species, the TAR has accepted the request for suspension of the hunting, postponing the pronouncement of merit to the next 19 May 2020. At the moment, therefore, the hunting of the two species is suspended. Our commitment and the economic contribution that the Confederation of Tuscan Hunters will also put in place in the coming days will be destined to produce the documents and studies necessary to overcome this unacceptable suspension. On the Moriglione in particular, the “Wings Collection” project promoted and coordinated by ACMA is going ahead, at the same time as that on the collection and processing of data for the Lapwing species, focused on the analysis of slaughter, through special hunting diaries, conducted by the Federcaccia Migratory Birdlife Office.
A further open front is that relating to the time span and to the calculation of days for hunting the species object of pre-opening; also in this case, an unacceptable ruling continues to be recorded, reconfirmed by yesterday's sentence, in which it is reaffirmed that the early closure of these species, possibly foreseen in pre-opening, must correspond to the period included from the beginning of the early opening and the beginning of the hunting season. A battle of principle and of substance on which all the Confederate Associations do not intend to withdraw and with respect to which our legal initiatives will continue to reach a positive ruling in the competent courts.