Hunting: the European Parliament rejected the anti-hunting amendment against the use of live decoys for hunting; common front Berlato - De Castro.
The European Parliament, in the session held today in Strasbourg, approved the Report A7-0129 / 2014 by Marit Paulsen on Animal Health within which some anti-hunt MEPs had tried to insert an amendment which, if approved, would have prohibited the capture of wild birds and their use as live decoys for hunting purposes. In fact, some MEPs with strong anti-hunt sympathies had tried to get the amendment n.337 to vote to modify art. 81 bis of the text of the Paulsen report which dealt with animal health. The amendment was rejected by 468 MPs voting against, while 164 voted in favor and 15 abstained. According to animal rights activists, “The capture of wild birds, their keeping and their use as live calls in hunting would constitute a vehicle for diseases that cannot be monitored. The use and movement of wild birds could compromise the measures taken to stem epidemics and spread of diseases. Importing dead wild birds from third countries would often lead to serious diseases such as avian. Since these imports are very limited, it would be considered appropriate to insert this type of prohibition as a precaution and preventive measure ".
In reality, this pretext was used by anti-hunts to impose unjustified prohibitions that would have prevented the exercise of one of the forms of hunting strongly rooted in the Italian and European territory. Satisfaction with the rejection of the amendment, presented by anti-hunting MEPs, was expressed in a joint note by the President of the Agriculture Commission of the European Parliament, Hon. Paolo De Castro and the Hon. Sergio Berlato, member of the Environment Commission.
Although belonging to two very different political camps, the Hon. Sergio Berlato and the Hon. Paolo De Castro have always managed to work as a team between the two committees of the European Parliament, guiding the other parliamentarians in defending the rights of hunters, often threatened by the continuous attacks launched by the anti-huntsmen who have repeatedly tried, unsuccessfully, to change in the Community Directives of reference and in particular Directive 2009/147 / EC, better known as the “Birds Directive”, have a restrictive sense.
The rejection of the umpteenth initiative against hunting by the European Parliament further strengthens the bond of collaboration between the two MEPs who, once re-elected in the elections for the renewal of the European Parliament to be held on May 25, will represent also for the next legislature a sure bulwark in defense of the rights of Italian and European hunters.
Press offices
on. Paolo De Castro and Hon. Sergio Berlato
(April 16, 2014)