Falsehoods and controversies
The Steering Committee of the recognized national hunting associations (Federcaccia, Enalcaccia, Arcicaccia, ANLC, ANUUMigratoristi, Italcaccia) and the CNCN – National Hunting and Nature Committee, intervene firmly to deny and reject the falsehoods and demagogic controversies that have been bouncing around in recent days on some platforms and channels close to the hunting circles. Movement 5 StarsAccusations that the current government is giving "gifts" to hunters by diverting financial resources from essential services, starting with public healthcare, are completely unfounded and driven solely by a deep-rooted anti-hunting ideological prejudice. They are part of a broader campaign aimed at influencing public opinion against the ongoing debate in Parliament on the reform of Law 157/92.
Taxpayers' pockets
It's necessary to reestablish the legal and economic reality: the funds allocated to recognized hunting associations have no impact on taxpayers' pockets or on general taxation. Rather, they are a partial refund of the government concession fees that hunters are required to pay annually for the issuance and renewal of their firearms license. We're talking about 5 euros per hunter, out of the total 173 euros of the concession fee, earmarked for this specific purpose. Of these 5 euros, not the entire amount is refunded, but only 40%. That's a full 2 euros (the price of a coffee), which every hunter—not every citizen—through this mechanism gives to the hunting associations that represent them, to carry out tasks that in many cases should be handled by public administrations, resulting in a waste of time and expense. Essentially, it's a relief for society's finances, certainly not an increase. This reimbursement mechanism is explicitly enshrined in Article 24 of Framework Law 157/92, which has been in force for over thirty years. This allocation is technical, tied, and automatic, and has been duly countersigned and disbursed by every government in the history of the Republic, including governments led by Giuseppe Conte. To exploit this budget item today as a current political favor demonstrates profound ignorance of state law or, worse, a deliberate attempt to misinform citizens.
A net asset
Hunting represents a net asset for public coffers and for land conservation: each hunter pays hundreds of euros annually in Government License Fees and Regional License Fees, generating tens of millions of euros in total revenue for the state. Added to these sums are the fees for registration with the Territorial Hunting Areas and Alpine Sections (ATC and CA). These private funds are entirely reinvested to cover damage caused by wildlife to agricultural crops, to carry out environmental restoration work, and to finance wildlife management for the benefit of biodiversity. Without the financial contribution and fieldwork of hunters, the costs of damage to agriculture, wildlife conservation interventions, and land monitoring would fall entirely on the community and regional budgets.
The comparison with animal-environmental associations
The Steering Committee invites the public to reflect on a blatant double standard: environmental and animal rights groups also receive substantial and ongoing public funding, both state and regional, as well as priority access to major European calls for proposals (such as LIFE projects). These funds too often fail to translate into effective management on the ground. A clear example is the management of large carnivores. Over €20 million in public funds have been allocated and spent over the years for wolf monitoring and alleged management projects (such as the various phases of cross-border and European projects). These are monumental resources, yet in reality, local communities and farmers are left to manage an uncontrolled proliferation of predators without any real and effective management of the species, other than head counts—which are always largely underestimated—conducted by the usual "experts."
Sole objective: to fuel social hatred
Using the same yardstick, aren't these funds also being diverted from healthcare, education, and welfare? Hunting in Italy is a self-sustaining activity regulated by very strict laws, generating vital economic benefits for environmental protection. The Hunting Control Room warns anyone against continuing to disseminate distorted or patently false data with the sole aim of fueling social hatred against a group of honest, rule-abiding citizens who directly contribute to the country's tax system (source: Federcaccia).
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