With regard to the provisions undertaken by the The Tuscan Regional Authority through the ordinance n.5 of 02.02.2021 for the districts of Massa 13 regarding ASF (African Swine Fever) we want to highlight the precise considerations expressed in recent days by the President ATCMS13 dr. Filippo Merlini. A detailed examination of the measures implemented also in the neighboring regions, where among other things they are some outbreaks and positive cases were found on wild boar carcasses, which highlights some macroscopic discrepancies in the approach by the bodies in charge, on the management of the problem. In a letter sent to the regional councilors of Tuscany Stefania Saccardi and Simone Bezzini (downloadable in full from our website www.confederazionecacciatoritoscani.it) following the specific requests made by the hunting world, President Merlini writes as follows:
Dear Sirs, as President of theTerritorial Hunting Area “Massa - 13"I am hereby requesting, also upon solicitations from the hunting world, a remodeling of the system of limitations imposed by the Tuscany Region for the district of the Province of Massa Carrara. The neighboring regions (Liguria and Emilia Romagna) and even those further away affected by the PSA health problem (Lombardy) have modified the limitation regime - especially in the field of dog activities - and, therefore, given the current situation, the maintenance of a more restrictive regime for Province of Massa Carrara, compared to that adopted for areas much closer to infected areas, does not appear justified.
The hunters of the ATC Massa 13, have demonstrated with their maximum availability to the data collection and participation in the search for carcasses, a great sense of responsibility in the face of the emergence of the emergency; now however - even in the absence of a confirmation on the presence of the disease in the provincial territory - they ask, rightly, why they must have been penalized before, at the end of the hunting season with the ban on the use of dogs, when, on the other hand, the Liguria region - from which the infection could have come - allowed the use of hounds for hunting wild boar in hunt until the end of the hunting season, and now with limitations to canine activities, which are difficult to justify. Compared to the above, from research on the web to date it appears that:
- The Liguria region, which borders with us with the Province of La Spezia (however never limited in hunting activities), currently provides limitations only for the Infected Area as the provisions issued (Presidential Ordinance No. 4 of 19.01.2022 and No. 5 of 25.02.2022 .30) have placed limitations on activities in the municipalities bordering the infected area only for a period of 19.01.2022 days starting from XNUMX;
- The Emilia Romagna region, which borders with us with the Provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia, currently provides limitations as well as for the Infected Zone only for those territories of the Province of Piacenza that fall within the area of 10 km from the borders of the infected zone as with Resolution no . 3620 of 28.02.2022, the limitations of the activities in the Municipalities of the Province of Piacenza outside the buffer area and in the Province of Parma - the Province of Reggio Emilia has never been subject to limitations - arranged with the previous acts (most recently with the Del. GR n. 1735 of 01.02.2022) have not been reiterated.
Looking even further away from our Region even Lombardy - which, as reported in the Del. GR Emilia-Romagna n. 3620 of 28.02.2022 would have participated in the coordination meeting of 21.02.2022 between the Regions of Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy and Tuscany aimed at remodeling the provisions relating to the areas confined to the infected area - currently it provides for activity limitations as well as for the Infected Area only for those territories of the Province of Pavia that fall within the area of 10 km from the borders of the infected area as with Order of the President n. 2.522 of 28.02.2022, the limitations of the activities in the Municipalities of Province of Pavia external from the buffer area arranged with the previous Presidential Decree no. 859 of 21.02.2022, have not been replicated.
The attention, prudence and precautions adopted by the Tuscany Region to deal with the PSA emergency have found serious and responsible acceptance of the hunting world of the Province of Massa Carrara, amply demonstrated by the participation that the base of the hunting world has put in place for the benefit of the whole community. The experience, the knowledge of the territory and, last but not least, the free time spent by hunters for the active search for wild boar carcasses, today deserves due attention in the sense of an updated evaluation of the health situation to achieve a lightening of the restrictions in force, moreover in the same way as what has already been done by the regions bordering the province of Massa Carrara. The remodeling, in light of the current restrictions, could convey a sense of confidence and positivity very useful for the future; in fact, it is not possible to think of a management of the ASF - if it should ever be faced - without an active and convinced participation of the hunters who must feel part of a functioning but not penalizing management mechanism.