Hunting in Tuscany. Ungulates, Ispra criticism and hunting policy

Hunting in Tuscany: Ungulate emergency, in Tuscany. Salvadori: "Dramatic situation, Region ready to intervene". Criticism of Ispra, but the failed hunting policy is the real problem.

In a press release, the Tuscany Region reports some of the testimonies of farmers who this morning in Florence participated in the conference promoted by the Confederation of Farmers of Tuscany (CIA) on the theme "ungulate emergency" which was attended, among others, by the Deputy Minister of Agricultural Policies, Andrea Olivero and the Regional Councilor for Agriculture and Forestry, Gianni Salvadori. Here they are: «For the 'ancient beech wood', the heart of the Casentino forest, there is talk of a UNESCO declaration as a 'heritage of humanity', but the forest is suffering because there are too many ungulates». "In just one night, in my field in Suvereto, the ungulates managed to destroy 770 watermelons, ready for harvesting". "The damage of the ungulates to the trunks of the trees, especially if done when they are young, are irreversible and can no longer be worked on". "The ungulates eat the shoots of the vines in spring and the fruits are gone for at least two years, in autumn, however, before the harvest, they know when the bunches ripen and we only find the stalks". «This year the ungulates destroyed 384 meters of dry stone walls from the 1700s in my olive grove, in the Pisan mountains. An enormous damage to the landscape, but also a danger for hydrogeological instability ».

Complaints that have been repeated for years and the result of a wicked companion of introductions of hybrids in the past and of an ineffective fauinistic policy in the following years, so much so that, according to the CIA, “in Tuscany there are over 400 ungulates. The density of wild boars is at least 20 heads per 100 hectares of territory, while the regional wildlife plan provides for 5 for the same area. For each farmer there are 5 ungulates, a load doubled in 10 years. The economic damage is at least 10 million euros ”.

The commissioner Salvadori shares the picture made by the farmers and underlined: «The situation is dramatic, it is as if in Tuscany we had hotels and restaurants for ungulates, the whole of Tuscany is a large breeding in the wild. But this produces enormous damage not only to agriculture, but also to the environment and the landscape and for this we must intervene. We have already embarked, for some time, on the path to a shared solution, but until now, unfortunately, we have encountered a stop each time. Law 157 is completely inadequate, but ISPRA also fails to fulfill its task of defending the environment in this way ”. The regional councilor recalled that he had officially written to ISPRA on 27 April and said: «They replied in early September, not on the merits, but asking to postpone the papers. I believe that we must overcome the fact that ISPRA depends on the ministry of the environment ».

Perhaps we should also overcome the fact that the hunting policy in Tuscany is still seen as the solution to a problem that it has created and that it continues not to be able to (want to?) Manage, as the farmers themselves often underline.

However, Salvadori finally promised that "The Region intends to launch concrete measures, legally valid and scientifically supported, by the end of the legislature". But he also said that "The question is still national" and urged solutions from the Government and Parliament. "All the regions complain about these problems - he concluded - Tuscany suffers more than others, but the question is national".