Complex situation
In 2025, wolves and wild fauna caused damages of approximately 300 thousand euros in the fields cultivated by the Agricultural Cooperatives of the province of RavennaThe latest incident occurred in recent days at Agrisfera, where three wolves ripped open the tarps protecting corn destined for the organic dairy farm and the biodigester. Among the most significant cases is that of the Cervese Comprensorio Agricultural Cooperative (CA), where over €100.000 in damage to crops and farm structures was estimated and partially accounted for in 2025 alone. But the situation is also complex in all the other CABs: Bagnacavallo and Faenza, Fusignano, Campiano, Terra, and Massari. The detailed damage report brings to the forefront a critical issue that has become structural for agriculture and farms, particularly the larger ones.
A system that penalizes
"Farmer cooperatives play a fundamental role in protecting the local area," explain Legacoop Romagna president Paolo Lucchi and Promosagri president Stefano Patrizi, "but the current rules of the compensation system penalize farms with larger tracts of land, and this is unacceptable. The preventive measures being requested would require, for example, fencing off vast areas, requiring millions of dollars in investments, which is completely impractical. But even the compensation awarded absolutely does not reflect the true extent of the damage. We are calling on the Italian government and the Emilia-Romagna Region to take immediate action on this issue." We need compensation criteria that are technically appropriate to the size of the farms, selection plans for the most effective species, preventative measures funded upfront, compensation commensurate with the actual damage, and ongoing technical involvement with agricultural cooperatives and farmers' associations. "The wolf is the new harmful species for farmers, including in our area: the previous year," explains Rudy Maiani, president of Agrisfera, "an attack similar to the one just recorded caused over €20.000 in damages. This year, the damage is less severe for now, but the frequency of incidents is increasing, and our main concern is the calf barn: if wolves were to enter there, the situation would become very serious."
Continuous pressure
At the Cervese Comprensorio CAB, over €100.000 in damage to crops and company facilities was estimated and partially accounted for in 2025 alone. We are under constant pressure,” reports Paolo Rosetti, director of the Cervese CAB. “Wood pigeons are eating sunflowers during seedling emergence or maturation, snow peas are attacking rapeseed, deer are devastating strawberry, clover, and wheat nurseries, and are tearing up the nets on sugar beet nurseries. Added to this are seagulls, which crush irrigated crops and puncture irrigation systems, and coypus, which, despite having seen a significant decline in recent years, continue to threaten the stability of driveways and bridges between farms, as well as the functionality of the drainage system. Protecting thousands of hectares with traditional means is impossible: as CAB, we have already spent approximately €25.000 on active deterrent measures, from gas cannons for wood pigeons and pigeons, to electric fences for deer, to laser deterrents for seagulls, while incurring several thousand euros in labor-only repairs. Nursery crops must comply with strict phytosanitary protocols, which the uncontrolled proliferation of wild fauna compromises, causing serious economic damage.
Specimens to pay attention to
"On the 5,3-hectare giant bamboo plantation of CAB in Fusignano," says Technical Director Franco Balducci, "we observed the presence of several timber wolves. Inspecting the vegetation during the summer months, we noted several broken shoots and several holes, resulting in damage estimated at around €500 per hectare. In the pear and peach orchards, losses due to crows, particularly jays, magpies, and jackdaws, ranged between €18 and €20.000. In the period before the grape harvest, the presence of flocks of birds caused approximately €10.000 in damage across the entire 32-hectare production area. On seed beet and cereals, we exceed €8.000 due to coypu, while the damage to approximately 50 peach trees in the growing phase caused by the brown hare, which gnaws at their bark, translates into an economic cost of approximately €5.000. "In the Bagnacavallo and Faenza CAB area, the presence of wolves, foxes, coypu, and various bird species (pigeons, wood pigeons, turtle doves, jays, magpies, etc.) is constant," explains director Marco Lanzoni. "Every year we find ourselves restoring damaged areas, with ever-increasing labor and material costs. But with the current rules for accessing food aid, it's practically impossible to quantify the damage and demonstrate that protections have been implemented across hundreds of hectares. Ultimately, people are discouraged from requesting compensation, partly due to the on-site inspection practices of the designated public bodies without consulting the company."
Compromised work
"The pressure is evident here at the Campiano CAB as well," comments director Claudio Mazzotti. "Wolves, wild boars, and deer dig, trample, and compromise operations. There's also a safety issue: a farm worker may encounter a wild boar or wolf while working in the field. It's a real risk we can't ignore." "At the Massari CAB, the situation is no different," explains technical director Fabio Zannoni. "We've had a year of fruit trees damaged by hares, which gnaw at the bark and slow their growth, forcing us to invest in alternative protection. Wood pigeons eat newly planted cereal seeds, pigeons attack young sunflower seedlings, while coypu damage newly transplanted seed cabbages. A growing problem is posed by wild geese: flocks of 100 to 150 individuals that eat cereals, seed beets, and other crops. The overall damage to our cooperative is between €20.000 and €30.000. "The toll for Cab Terra is heavy," says President Fabrizio Galavotti. "In 2025, we recorded a total of €53.000 in damage. Wood pigeons alone caused €40.000 in lost revenue across organic sunflowers, sunflower seed, and soybean seed. Added to this are €5.000 in damage to beet seed due to coypu, unquantifiable damage to drainage ditches, €2.000 caused by wild boars, €3.000 attributable to wolves, and another €3.000 due to pigeons in the Camerlona area. Not to mention the additional manpower hours for cleaning and restoration. It's a picture that speaks for itself." (Source: Promosagri – Cooperative Agricole Braccianti).
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