"In Veronese plain now more and more farmers have to deal with damage caused by nutria. These rodents, in addition to destroying crops, damage the banks of rivers and canals and create great risks for motorists. By now the citizens and administrators are exasperated. For this reason I asked the competent regional councilor Cristiano Corazzari to organize a meeting with the president of the Province of Verona Manuel Scalzotto, il Adige Euganeo reclamation consortium, the Consorzio Alta Pianura Veneta, the Adige Po Consortium, the Veronese Reclamation Consortium, the Civil Engineers of Verona and the representatives of the veterinary service of the Ulss 9 Company to discuss new and urgent containment measures for these animals ».
To announce it is Philip Rigo, regional councilor and vice president of the Liga Veneta Group for Salvini premier. "For more than 50 years now citizens have had to contend with these rodents - continues Rigo -: the first reports date back to the 60s. Since then, however, the situation has worsened: some photos show, better than many words, levees reduced to sieves, with chasms that engulf tractors and heavy vehicles. For some time, the agricultural trade associations have been making their voices heard, concerned for the extensive damage caused to crops. From the estimates made, it emerges that the costs relating to the nutria problem borne by the Veronese Reclamation Consortium alone exceed 400 thousand euros per year. The presence of otters, however, is no longer limited to the coastal strip and the courses of rivers in the open countryside. Even the centers of some cities have to cope with the damage caused to the canals.
The Veneto Region has already shown its maximum commitment in the past to address this age-old problem. Already in 2016, the administration approved the regional coypu eradication plan, now extended until June of this year, in view of the entry into force of the future. Five-year control plan pending approval. However, the emergency is such that it forces us to take some immediate decisions and implement the measures adopted. I therefore thank the commissioner Corazzari for his availability and the president of the Province Scalzotto for the commitment and attention shown on this issue "(Verona news).