The results of the EcoSelvoFiliera short supply chain pilot project for game meat, carried out during the hunting seasons 2018/2019 and 2019/2020. The aim of the project was to enhance the meat of wild ungulates, in particular wild boar and roe deer, in order to contribute to solving, in a sustainable way, the problem of the excessive presence of these animals in the countryside, and to guarantee greater safety and transparency in the consumption of these meats in the region.
To date, in fact, the large quantityà of meat and products derived from wild ungulates consumed in Umbria would seem to come from other regions or, for the most part, from'abroad, in particular from'Eastern Europe and New Zealand.
"A guaranteed Umbrian supply chain - has explained Alessandro Monacelli, President of'EPS Umbria Game Producers and promoter of the project- it would help to face extra-regional competition and regain competitivenessà in the local gastronomic sector, healing l'evident inconsistency between regional consumption and the number of slaughtered animals passing through authorized game processing centers in Umbria. We have also shown that there can beò be an important economic profit for operators."
The project, in fact, served to validate the procedures necessary to guarantee traceability, hygienic, health and commercial quality of the meat and processed products. Taking into account, however, that the latter were limited to more traditional cured meats, but the range could easily be extended to other products such as sauces and ready-made sauces, in addition to fresh meat cuts.
"For years now, - Monacelli continued - l'surplus of some species of wild animals in our region, where 46% of the territory è covered by woods and forests, it causes damage to agricultural and forestry productions and constitutes a serious danger to road safety, with several hundreds of accidents reported. L'goal of the project è, precisely that of creating a local supply chain, therefore short, of processing and enhancement of these meats able to guarantee safety, traceabilityà and transparency for the benefit of consumers, but also income for operators in the sector and to contribute to environmental protection thanks to moreù adequate and careful.
In short, it is a question of using an ecological, available, renewable and very low cost resource which, managed in compliance with the balance of wild species and through a structured and validated supply chain, can give value to the territory and its typical characteristics, while allowing sustainability. economic for local communities and a system of withdrawals increasingly adapted to needs and the environment.
Yesterday's meeting was also attended by there'regional councilor all'Agriculture Roberto Morroni, who greeted the initiative with particular positivity "becauseé -he said- it opens an interesting frontier in the region, in tune with the guidelines we are pursuing. È an intelligent way of dealing with a problem, that of the spread of wild boars, which è national and which is becoming a real emergency, transforming it into an opportunityà. " The commissioner therefore hoped, in the near future, for an even closer comparison and an expansion of synergies, in consideration of the excellent potential and prospects of the project, "così to do of'Umbria -he concluded- a model also from this point of view. "
The interventions of experts -Frances Vercillo, Professor of Wildlife Management at the University of Perugia, David Ranucci, professor of Inspection of food of animal origin in the same university, e Fausto Cambiotti, veterinary doctor of the ASL Umbria 1- have, moreover, highlighted the importance of the role of the hunter, the primary subject of the supply chain, and of his necessary training, as well as the need for an Umbrian supply chain specification that allows the transition from a project pilot to a real industrial plan.