Far goal
37 thousand are missing……..and more. To reach 38.000. The goal of the wild boar depopulation program, developed by Liguria region, to prevent the further spread of swine fever. They can't and the hunters won't. Not even the dogs can do it anymore. Exhausted after the first (practically useless) hunting trips. “After the first two animals shot down on the first day in Ponente, the first unofficial news on the new hunting trips carried out in recent days also in other Ligurian territories confirms that that goal is unattainable – underlines Stefano Roggerone, president of Cia Liguria -. We acknowledge the availability of hunters, but what is certain is that in order to hypothesize a reduction in the presence of 38.000 ungulates in decent times, more interventions are needed, for example by using widespread trapping systems that have proved to be efficient. This must be accompanied by an organization in the management of carcasses - including tests - which at the moment, still seems to be defined."
Hunting regulations
The Region has amended the Regulations on wild boar hunting in collective form. The teams in the ATC can be made up of a minimum of 15 members (instead of 20) and the hunting days per week go from two (Wednesday and Sunday) to three, at the choice of the teams, for a maximum of 10 seasonal days. “They are useless changes. Hunting and hunters cannot be the only solution. Volunteers are assigned excessive responsibility, and testify to an underestimation of what is at stake - concludes Stefano Roggerone -.
A growing phenomenon
The same new PSA Commissioner, also without real powers, has admitted that the phenomenon is spreading. Liguria (372 cases), Piedmont (459), one case in Lombardy, an outbreak in Lazio, the province of Reggio Calabria, one case in Campania. We would not like our region to be identified as "the infector", due to a continuous action of referral, of mediation to safeguard legitimate but not priority interests. We risk questioning the reputation of a leading economic sector in our country: the agri-food sector. We need a decisive acceleration that focuses on the use of all available resources to implement a real depopulation” (source: CIA Liguria).