Established compensation
Almost 75 thousand euros of compensation ascertained by the Puglia Region out of a total of reimbursements requested which exceeds 415 thousand euros. These are the unfortunate numbers found in the province of Taranto, in the year 2023 alone, in relation to the damage to crops caused by wildlife. Figures have risen dramatically over time (in 2019 the assessment stood at around only 15 thousand euros) and are directly proportional to the number of wild boars that have been roaming undisturbed throughout the territory in recent years, in particular in the countryside of Ginosa, Laterza and Castellaneta. An increase in specimens coincided with the lockdown, at the time the animals ran around and reproduced undisturbed.
A real emergency
The official report, which from 2020 to today speaks of over 320 thousand euros of compensation ascertained in the province of Taranto, data provided by the provincial Territorial Hunting Area which unequivocally certifies the existence of a real emergency that the entire Apulian territory , in particular the western side of Tarantino, has been alive for some time. Wild boars damage fields, destroy protection, infrastructure and crops. They threaten population centers and jeopardize road safety. In action alone or in packs not only at night but at all hours of the day: their destructive actions jeopardize the sacrifices of farmers and put the production of food and wine excellence at great risk. An issue for which the Due Mari area of Cia-Agricoltori Italiani di Puglia has been shouting for some time, banging its fists on the tables of the competent offices and bitterly contesting a series of reprisals of responsibility which so far, unfortunately, has done nothing but mortify the territory.
Undisturbed raids
Agricultural sector on its knees, perception of safety underfoot on provincial and municipal-rural roads, not only at nightfall but also in broad daylight. Fear in inhabited centers and the first concrete warning signs for the tourism sector in view of the imminent start of the summer season in Castellaneta Marina and Marina di Ginosa. The wild boars, in fact, rage undisturbed, are constantly increasing and now reach portions of the territory, including inhabited centers, which until recently had never been affected by the emergency. This all happens on a daily basis while the usual bureaucratic delays slow down the action of the many actors involved in the matter: the Government, the Region and the ATC. However, the environmental and animal rights associations deserve a separate chapter: their grim defense of wild boars inexorably clashes not only with the protection of the agricultural sector but also with road safety, human health and physical safety.
The only positive element of the story
There is no more time to waste: the daily actions of the ATC of Taranto, in concert with the hunting associations, are perhaps the only positive aspect of the matter, but in our opinion the culling of wild boars should be implemented and made proportional to the 'high number of animals present in the area. To an emergency situation it is necessary to respond with as many emergency tools. Politics has the duty to respond immediately with responsibility and concrete actions. We need to push the accelerator and give vigor to the regional abatement plan but everyone must do their part also to streamline a process that is perhaps too cumbersome and simplify the procedures envisaged which are difficult to apply. There is an urgent need to reform hunting law number 157 of 1992: a 32-year-old law which, at the instigation of the Puglia Region, could be brought to the attention of the Government and then revised and adapted to the present day. Furthermore, it is necessary to introduce a monitoring system and a census of wild boars throughout the territory and promote the hunting chain. For all these reasons, bureaucracy must immediately give way to concrete actions: the health and safety of citizens and the future of the agricultural sector must be protected once and for all (source: CIA).
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