With the Sentence on the appeal of 2019 to the CV of theVerdi Environment and Society Association - VAS, the Regional Administrative Court for the Puglia has set a series of points of absolute importance in defense of regional autonomies in hunting field. It is difficult to comment on a broad and articulated sentence of just under 50 pages in a few lines, after a very troubled and complex trial, which saw Federcaccia and the hunting world appear as a precautionary measure three times before the Regional Administrative Court and twice before the Council of State.
At the end of this process, the Sentence published yesterday, after analyzing point by point the various judicial findings raised by the Vas association, as well as highlighting all the responses and positions taken by the Puglia Region and the Hunting Associations, first of all Federcaccia, cited several times, recognized the administrative and decision-making autonomy of the Public Administration, in this case the Puglia Region, with respect to other Bodies, setting the limits within which they can intervene. Of particular relevance is that:
- the role ofIspra it is limited only to technical and scientific support from the Regions, which may depart with their own motivations supported by scientific data;
- Ispra's opinion is mandatory, but not binding;
- the periods of legitimate hunting are those set by art. 18 of Law 157/1992;
- in contiguous areas hunting is practicable;
- hunting wildlife plans extended by an administrative act are valid if not promptly challenged;
- the use of lead ammunition is not prohibited in hunting ungulates;
- hunting mobility is subject to regional legislation;
- the fiberglass barrels they are temporary stalking in all respects.
In short, the legal arguments formulated by the Italian Federation of Hunting were shared by the TAR Puglia with this Sentence, which does justice and rejects all the complaints formulated by the VAS and which the judges rightly accused them of mere wishes to be forwarded, if anything, in the political arena, but not in court.
"I am obviously satisfied with this result" commented the National President Massimo Buconi. "The sentence represents, like the much more important one of the TAR Marche of 31 July last, just a battle won, but gives further spur to the action of the Federation, strenuously committed to defending the rights of hunters both on a legal and a technical and scientific level.
A special thanks goes to the lawyer Alberto Maria Bruni, of the Morbidelli Bruni Righi Traina e Associati law firm in Florence, who as always dictated the legal line of our intervention, and to the other lawyers who have supported him at the regional level. However, once again the studies provided by Federcaccia and in particular by Michele Sorrenti of our Studies and Research Office contributed in a fundamental way, demonstrating, if ever there was still a need, that the investment in human and economic terms in this this sector is the only one that can guarantee us to fight the continuous attacks on hunting with adequate weapons. Special thanks go to Puglia region and to its technical offices for the listening demonstrated to Federcaccia's work and the will to protect the hunting activity in compliance with the law. Finally, thanks to our territorial management, one for all the regional president Giovanni Ciccarese, for the tenacity and dedication placed in the protection of his members and in general of Apulian hunters ”.