Hunting and Fauna: the Italian Farmers Confederation of Reggio Emilia on the threat of the Starling, "a harmful alien, you must be able to control".
To discuss the problems that the Storno, Sturnus Vulgaris, causes to agriculture, the CIA, the Italian Farmers' Confederation of Reggio Emilia organized a public meeting in Canolo di Correggio. Almost 200 present, a lively but responsible discussion, a final document that summarizes in four points the proposals of the Reggio Emilia CIA, which will be submitted to the institutions in order to limit the damage caused by the transfer to agricultural crops. In the last four years (2009-2012) the damages caused to agriculture in Emilia Romagna were € 8.700.00,00, of which the damages from derogation (especially such as starling, pigeon, sparrow, etc.) were 1.860.000,00 , 20 € and settle at a percentage of around 22-2012% per year of damage caused by these species, on the total ascertained. In 82.000,00 alone, the Province of Reggio Emilia suffered damage of € 75.000,00, of which € 7.000,00 from starlings and € XNUMX from pigeons. Figures that alone explain the problem for farmers: often substantial damage to crops, which, even if partially compensated, do not compensate for the loss of the product and the relative market. Hence a long-standing problem that the CIA has tried to tackle without demagogy, but paying attention to the concrete possibilities of remedying the situation.
The CIA requests that we can return to hunting the starling, which today is a protected species in Italy, the starling has been included by the International Union of Nature (IUCN - study group on invasive species) among the 100 most harmful alien species in the world. world. In the Italian territory there is a particular complaint of damage to crops (vines, olive trees, orchards, seeds), dangers for cities of art, artefacts, monuments and dangers for the environment. Furthermore, the invasiveness of the species endangers the survival and reproduction of native species. Positions shared by the representatives of the Atc and hunting associations present, but which also found understanding from the institutional side, present the Provincial Councilor Alfredo Gennari. Certainly an extreme solution, but which takes into account the limited effectiveness over time of the dissuasion systems adopted by farmers.
According to the CIA, the environment and agriculture pay the price for an incoherent and immobile government policy both on the issue of exemptions and on hunting in general.
4 September 2013
Source: Sassuolo2000