Law 157 of 1992
Last December, the new Parliament proved its effectiveness by finally bringing about an appropriate modification of theart. 19 of the state law, that relating to the control of wildlife, which for thirty years had lain unchanged and, therefore, seriously deficient with respect to the evolution of the real world, the consolidated jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court and wild populations, as well as the administrative and organizational involution of bodies of PGs of the Provinces, competent in wildlife matters: without counting the merger of the CFS into the Arma dei Carabinieri, which as far as we know has never participated, much less organized, any wildlife containment activity in any area of Italy. The fact that the legislative intervention has hit the mark has been demonstrated by the vehement and troublesome reaction of many national media, well financed by the usual anti-hunting animal rights and environmentalists who have caught their breath for years now. As they say "thing done, boss ha".
Hunting calendars and deadlines
Now, therefore, is the time to seriously tackle the procedures relating to hunting, specifically those for the regional hunting calendars for the next 2023/24 season. In fact, the starting whistle has been given: if the Regions intend to respect the deadline (not mandatory, remember) of 15 June 2023 for the issue of the calendars, the entire process is already underway. The procedure envisages the acquisition of the opinions of the wildlife-hunting councils (or as they are defined by the various regional laws) where the categories of stakeholders are represented, then the drafting of a calendar proposal and, finally, its transmission to ISPRA to acquire the relative opinion (mandatory, but not binding). In the meantime, where not already fulfilled at the planning level - through the regional faunal-hunting plan or the previous provincial ones - the procedure for assessing the incidence of the calendar with respect to the sites of the Natura 2000 network continues in parallel.
The opinions of ISPRA
In short, the whole thing is a discreet patchwork or, to put it simply in our beautiful language, it is a nice minestrone, in which, however, each ingredient must be dosed with the utmost attention. But a bottleneck remains: ISPRA, an institution whose opinions for the TAR and the Council of State are now equivalent to the Messianic Word. This requires that the Ministry of the Environment, which is responsible for supervising ISPRA and, obviously, the directives and work guidelines, adopt new and different guidelines, less rigid and less adverse to hunting. because it is precisely from the ministerial level that a clear swerve is expected, which will affect what ISPRA will write to the Regions. In other words: if again, in a few weeks, we will read opinions indicating the closure of hunting for sedentary birds on 30 November, for woodcock on 31 December, for thrushes on 10 January, for ducks on 20 January, the general opening not before 1 October, the suspension of the hunting of lapwings, pochards, wild turtle doves and tufted ducks, etc. etc. we will have no doubt that the current government will also be powerless to intervene effectively.
Interpretation of the data
This of the hunting calendars will therefore be the first, authentic litmus test on hunting for whoever runs Palazzo Chigi, because there will be no contribution from representatives of political forces other than the majority, as instead happened in the competent parliamentary commissions and in the courtroom for the modification of the art. 19 of law 157, passed with a transversal vote by the majority of the parties. Are we asking too much? We don't believe it. After at least two decades of cuts and beatings, Italian hunters are simply asking for the return of balance and the correct, as well as exhaustive, interpretation of the data, the minimum that can be expected from public bodies and bodies that have a specific consultancy role conferred them by the legislation in force: but that I am not the legislator, this too should be highlighted. Then there is the vexed question of the dusty mechanisms of administrative justice, to which we have already dedicated many reflections and to which we will return. Good luck to all. (ANUUM Migrationists)