Federcaccia Piemonte on compensation to farmers, "Don't let the farmer know ..." and unfortunately this time we are not talking about cheese and pears.
What ... shouldn't the farmer know? What is the news hidden in a press release of the Region, which appeared in these days in Piemonte Informa? Perhaps the agricultural world will receive unexpected help, despite the region's exhausted coffers? Or what new funds are coming from Europe? No, unfortunately none of this, simply that the long-awaited reimbursements for damage caused to crops by wildlife will be slow in coming.
To pay, as established by law 157/92, technically must be ATC and CA, to whom the Region is responsible in advance to transfer the funds to restore the farmers damaged by the raids of wild boars and roes, rodents or birds such as crows and magpies defined "opportunists", since it was discovered that they can no longer be called ... harmful!
He should pay on time, but he does not, because from Turin the money always leaves with a lot of effort, and in recent times even rarely, although these ... eurini, destined for the damaged, the Region has already collected them well before through taxes and levies to which they are subject to the more than 25.000 Piedmontese hunters! ATC and CA, even those financially supported by ... terrible hunters, have the task of anticipating 10% of the damage ascertained and appraised, using their economic resources to do so.
This has been happening since 2007, decided by the then councilor for hunting (Dgr. N. 115-6742, 03/08/07), with a coup similar to those with which a government imposes, who knows why often ... at night, new taxes or increases in excise duties on petrol. If this were not enough, there would now be the claim that it is the areas that anticipate all the sums due to the agricultural world, and not just 10% more, remaining the same creditors of large sums for institutional funds.
All this appears very risky, if not downright pretext, since ATC and CA are not non-profit organizations fed with voluntary payments from unknown benefactors, but organizations created to operate in the area not only for the prevention of damage and improvements, but also to manage the activity. hunting which, let us always remember, is lawful and perfectly allowed by the laws of the Italian State. Let's now enter into the details of the press release: Giorgio Ferrero, Councilor for Agriculture, Hunting and Fishing of the Piedmont Region, declared that he had arranged a transfer of 1,86 million euros for the damages relating to 2014, while for the previous years, continues the note from the Asti administrator, it is still working; with the optimism of the Region, he argues, with the pessimism of the experts we add. That money, in fact, will not even be enough for the damages of that year, let alone to heal the past, since several million euros are still missing; money owed to the peasants and which, in a moment of crisis like the present one, would certainly be better used by them rather than left in public hands.
However, the farming friends, be they large companies rather than small families or individuals, know that the Region of money every year allocates a lot of money for many purposes and sometimes, we believe, even badly, but that the continuous restrictions made to the detriment some hunters will certainly cause the inevitable decrease in their numbers, with the consequent proliferation of wildlife and an increase in agricultural damage, as well as a reduction in revenues for the benefit of the needy regional coffers. For all this the hunting world can do nothing, except to support farmers as always, to whom we are bound by an ancient friendship and a spirit of collaboration. Let's leave aside ... cheese and pears, and then complete the title: "Don't let the farmer know ... because he can't get that money!"
Federcaccia Piemonte Press Office
(May 2, 2015)