Technical solutions
On January 27, the Lombardy Region approved resolution 3831 which establishes the application rules for the long-awaited replacement of the rings for live decoys used in hunting from a hide. Given that this is still a first phase, necessary to then arrive at the solution, in which the technical solutions relating to the quality and characteristics of the marks and their replacement method have been specified. Obviously then, once the resolution itself is enforceable, we will move on to the practical phase of replacement. Let's try to clarify, in our opinion of course, the content of the resolution and of Annex 1. The fixed point of the characteristics of the marks/rings relating to the internal measurements and height of the same, different for the individual species, is established. It is then established that for chicks, the new born from breeding, the rings must preferably be made of duralumin or steel, again preferably also colored on the inside; the use of irremovable marks made of plastic material with a metal tab is also not excluded as long as the irremovability is guaranteed by a testing laboratory accredited according to state regulations.
Written requests
Coming to the replacements, which must be made only for the aluminum rings, the existing ones in duralumin or steel being considered valid, the characteristics of a boss ring are defined which must have an alphanumeric code printed on it for the province code, type of call and a series of 6 numbers, 5 for the skylark only; the affixing of the same must be made irremovable by crushing with suitable pliers. For the replacement, registration in the regional database is a prerequisite, which we have done over time, and the written request, application, through the hunting association to which you belong or ATC/CA. The application must define the origin of the call, whether purchased from a breeder, from a hunter or through the acquisition of a ring from a recognized ornithological association. With this request, let's say it is made through an association for ease, this will go to UTR and collect the requested rings on behalf of the hunter and deliver them to him or to a person expressly delegated; these will provide for the replacement, then to return, always through the association, the old tags with a list of the code of those removed and those put back. Then the old rings will have to be removed, hoping not to damage the recall itself, to return them, and perhaps it will be useful to read and write down the number first so that it does not get ruined in the removal.
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Receiving applications
The timing of all this? We imagine that, if the resolution becomes operational and we move on to the tender for the supply of rings and their availability to the UTRs by the summer, we can really be ready for the replacement for the next hunting season. To this entire operation, the resolution then assigns the surveillance service the checks on at least 5% of the applicants, to guarantee the seriousness and legitimacy of the same. Clearly we have some concerns as an association, given that the work of receiving the requests, requesting the UTR, distributing them to the hunters and returning the rings to the UTR will be added to that of the membership in the same short period; we hope that all this difficulty is not added to tight mandatory times, under penalty of overall application risk. Could it have been done better? It certainly could have been done sooner. However, we thank the Lombardy Region for having adopted an instrument that should protect us from an unreal sanctioning system, put in place especially by particularly targeted surveillance, which in recent years has led many hunters to criminal proceedings, most of them with acquittals, and has however contributed to making them stop hunting (source: FIDC Brescia-Cacciapensieri).
