In the province of Florence, an increasingly worrying situation and the farmers' cry of alarm must be heard by the institutions. «The problem of ungulates and wild animals - underlines the president of Hi Tuscany Center, Sandro Orlandini - this is certainly not new, but in recent years, in addition to the wild boar emergency, we have to deal more and more with the proliferation of roe deer, who are less hunted and therefore out of control. Our farmers and ranchers are exasperated, so it is not possible to go on ”. And so in the Certaldo area, Franco Marzi, owner of the I Fossati farm - a Chianina breed and production of wine and oil - says that the situation is unsustainable due to the ever-increasing number of roe deer: "While for wild boars there is an excellent market in local and Tuscan restaurants, with prices that are around 3,5 euros per kg - explains Marzi -, there is no market for venison, it does not interest, and so hunters do not shoot at the roe deer which can increase in number undisturbed ».
Marzi grows ancient grains (variety andriolo) in about 4 hectares of land: "They pass in very numerous herds, even of 30 heads at a time - he says -, and so the production is completely trampled, animals run around us, they roll over and there is nothing left; and what remains is finished by the wild boars ». In addition, damage to grapes: "Grapes are used to quench the ungulates in these drought periods and so much of the production for wine is also destroyed."
The main problem, according to the Certaldo farmer, in this case there remains the lack of a market for roe deer: «It is urgent to open a table with the Tuscany Region - concludes Franco Marzi - if you really want to solve the problem of so many farmers, who, like me, are forced to suffer considerable damage, and to see their work destroyed. We must act without wasting time».