full cooperation
The undersigned National Associations (Federcaccia, Enalcaccia, AnuuMigratoristi, Associazione Nazionale Libera Caccia, Arcicaccia, Italcaccia and the National Hunting and Nature Committee - CNCN) gathered in the Unitary Control Room of the Hunting World, regarding the application of Regulation 2021/57 on lead in wetlands, also following the meeting with the Government on 04 September, provided maximum collaboration to the institutions and every useful contribution to the competent departments to help clarify the difficult situation that had arisen. In fact, also following the recent ruling of the Lazio TAR which considered it to be worthless, and therefore also to be considered unsuitable for the purpose of excluding criminal liability, the clarification ministerial circular issued at the time by MASE and MASAF, in recent days, both operators in the sector and thousands and thousands of hunters have raised doubts and expressed perplexity, loudly asking for certainties for the exercise of their legitimate activity, in view of the official start of the now imminent season.
Clarifying interventions
For this reason, the Control Room had asked the Government several times to intervene with an effective legislative measure to avoid the situation of uncertainty and alarmism that has unfortunately arisen especially in recent weeks. We learn that yesterday, amendments to legislative texts currently being examined were finally presented in Parliament capable of providing explanatory and implementing clarifications regarding the community regulatory legislation which provides for the prohibition of the use and transport of cartridges containing lead in the areas humid. These amendments, according to what has been learned, provide on the one hand only the application of an administrative sanction for those who carry with them ammunition containing lead inside or less than one hundred meters from a wetland area, on the other hand they define that they are consider humid areas those referred to in the Ramsar Convention (and included in the appropriate list), those falling within Sites of Community Importance (SCI) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs), as well as those within natural reserves or in protected areas.
Hunting with a serene soul
From the proposed changes, once approved, it can also be deduced that any problems of a criminal nature will be overcome, in particular regarding the simple possession and/or mere transport of lead ammunition near wetlands. It is also to be ensured that sanctions are not applied to those who demonstrate that they do not want to use lead ammunition in the prohibited area, as they are only in the transit phase. The proposed amendments will have to be examined and approved by Parliament in the next few weeks and, while taking into account the times of the procedures provided for in our Ordinance, positive effects could occur from the next opening of the hunting season. We have been informed that this ongoing legislative activity and the related clarifying value will be communicated widely to the supervisory and control bodies. While believing that, as we have repeatedly requested, the matter should have been managed in a shorter time and with more effective methods, such as the issuing of a specific decree-law, it is believed, however, that the amendments presented in parliament can be useful to calm the start of the hunting season, confident that they can avoid any unnecessary disputes and give more clarity to Italian hunters, who have the right to exercise their activity within a framework of certainty of the existing rules and the contents and limits of the their applicability. You must go hunting with a serene mind and without fearing sanctions, even of a criminal nature, even if the hunters are aware and correct in their behavior and intentions (source: FIDC).