With the measures published a few days ago in Bur, on the proposal of the Councilor for Hunting and Fishing of Veneto, Cristiano Corazzari, the first year of "ordinary" management of the regional fund for the compensation and prevention of damage from wildlife to agricultural production and aquaculture is completed after the transfer of competence to AVEPA. Therefore, starting from next week it will be possible to submit an application for a grant for two specific calls aimed at preventing damage caused by wildlife to agriculture, and compensating for damage caused by ichthyophagous wildlife to aquaculture. In total, 200 thousand euros have been allocated from the one million euros of total allocation in the 2021 budget and transferred in recent weeks by the regional council to AVEPA.
The remaining 800 thousand euros will be earmarked for compensation for damage to agriculture in the territory with planned hunting management. "In a historical and environmental context which is registering an unprecedented increase in fauna species, first of all ungulates, we intend to give concrete support to our entrepreneurs - explains the regional councilor Corazzari - to contain the damage caused to agricultural production. From the reports collected, in fact, the economic impact of this phenomenon on the rural areas of Veneto is evident and passive prevention, through the installation of protection tools, certainly plays a fundamental strategic role together with the active management interventions of containment implemented by the control plans ".
The Veneta Agency for Payments - AVEPA - is therefore starting the compensation procedures to the beneficiaries against the 430 applications presented between July 2020 and June 2021, for a total appraised amount of € 1.291.683. Without prejudice to the maximum recognizable contribution limit of 25 thousand euros imposed by EU legislation for state aid under the de minimis regime, the contribution percentages, compared to the ascertained damage, range from 81% for damages of less than 2.500,00 euros (which constitute 72% of the total number of confirmed cases), at percentages between 80% and 56% (average 68%) for damages exceeding 2.500 euros. Still from the claims received in 2020/2021, ungulates, boar in the first place, are confirmed in first place among wild species, causing damage to agricultural production.
There are 192 (almost 50% of the total) claims for compensation for damage caused by these species, for a total of 486 thousand euros appraised, followed by those for damage from Corvids (104 instances) and Hares (72 instances). However, it is borne by the latter species that, in the annuity analyzed, is the highest damage on average, equal to over 6.500 Euros / event, with some cases of damage well over 10.000 Euros. On the other hand, the maximum contribution foreseen for the prevention interventions announced and ranging is equal to 100% of the admissible expenditure from the construction of mechanical or electrified fences, to individual protections for fruit trees of the first installation, to the anti-bird nets and various types of bollards, with a maximum ceiling of the admissible expenditure of 5.000,00 euros.
"I remember that in addition to this round of contributions, the € 100.141 already allocated at the beginning of November in favor of the Euganean Hills and Lessinia Park for the prevention and compensation of damage caused by wild fauna (essentially wild boar) within the respective protected areas - concludes Corazzari -. Overall, the Region has allocated this year over 1 million and 100 thousand euros to deal with the damages caused to agriculture by the presence of harmful species ".