A new ruling in favor of hunting
Here we go again! After the sentence of Tar of Emilia Romagna which rejected the petitioners' appeal to hunting calendar, yesterday morning the Tar of Umbria has issued the Ordinance of rejection of the request for suspension of the regional hunting calendar made by aextreme environmental, anti-hunt and animal welfare associations and therefore in a very short time hunting will also reopen in the region of central Italy. Of course, Umbria is a bit farther as the crow flies than Emilia Romagna, but we are still on home soil anyway! So for the umpteenth time the TAR of Lombardy issued a sentence in contrast with that of the other Italian regions, accepting all the arguments of the applicants, ie animal rights activists.
Hunting calendar
Let's try to read the motivations of the Milanese judges: “the regional hunting calendar for the next one 2022-2023 season, in the part in which the hunt will start starting from 18 September 2022 for the ornithic species Snipe, Whisk, Moorhen, Coot, Water Rail, Mallard, Teal, Codon, Wigeon, Shoveler, Garganey, Gadwall, Thrush bottaccio and woodcock, appears to have been prepared without taking into account the indication contained in ISPRA opinion of 31 March 2022, which believed that a general opening of scheduled hunting to all ornithic (and small game) species for 1 October 2022 would be more appropriate, in order "to favor a more complete development of the last born for various species subjected to hunting, to avoid the likelihood of confusion with other non-huntable species and to reduce the disturbance generated by the presence of a large number of hunters on the territory in a still delicate phase of the biological cycle for various species not subjected to hunting ”.
The responsibilities of ISPRA
If Ispra writes that hunters can be confused with other species, it must indicate what they are because otherwise, instead of an Institute of technicians and scholars, it looks more like an eye clinic. If Ispra writes that the disturbance must be reduced for those species that have not yet completed the biological cycle, it must indicate which they are, because otherwise it loses credibility. So much so that we can read instead, in the opinion expressed by Tar of Umbria, as follows: First point "the opinion given by ISPRA, as peacefully recognized by the parties, is mandatory but not binding, from which the Region can depart by adequately motivating the different choices made reasons that appear at a first examination emerge from the preliminary document " And no clarification is needed on this, except that the Lombardy Region had amply motivated the reasons for the deviation. Second point "the allegations, writes the TAR Umbria, of the recurring party about the failure to take into account the fallout from the drought phenomena of the months just passed and the phenomenon of fires on wildlife do not appear adequately supported by data relating to the incidence of such non-denying phenomena on huntable species with respect to which the opening date of the hunting season is disputed". That is to say: if you say that drought damages game, you need data, not gossip. Third point: “« the species object of hunting - explains the Umbrian Tar - that nest in Umbria are all outside the reproductive period (which also includes parental care).
Key concepts
Of those indicated in the ISPRA opinion: Mallard end of period KC III decade of August, Gray partridge (XNUMXrd decade of September), Pheasant and Quail (II week decade) for which September 18 is the final phase of the last decade of reproduction. Therefore, only these three species would be hunted for a single day (the last), compared to an entire decade allowed by the EU Hunting Guide, and considered faculty of the regions by ISPRA and MITE ". Incredible! In Umbria, animals complete their biological cycle earlier than in Lombardy and cannot be confused! We Lombard hunters are really unlucky! What, in summary, is the explanation of two sentences on an identical subject and on a diametrically opposed overlapping calendar? Mystery, at least for us mere mortals. This is why we hope that the Lombardy Region promulgates within the week, let's say by Friday, a resolution authorizing the hunting of song thrush, mallard and teal only from a fixed position. This would be an important political act and an act of justice expected by 7.000 Brescia sheds (source: Federcaccia Brescia - Cacciapensieri).