New extraordinary plan
To date, there have been 9 outbreaks in the Province of Pavia African swine fever identified on farms, and the sixth carcass of a wild boar affected by the virus was found in Varzi. The entire Pavia area which does not already fall within the restricted areas has been classified as a surveillance zone and since 1 October the new extraordinary plan has been in force throughout the Region, which also introduces a series of initiatives to reduce wild boars, potential spreaders. The plan for Lombardy has the objective of killing 27.000 wild boars in a year (today around 13.000 are killed) and introduces the figure of the "Bioregulator" and the establishment of the "Territorial Operational Groups", which will set objectives and methods of intervention . The Region has allocated 725.000 euros for the containment of wild boar.
Unachievable goals
“Immediate and cost-free actions can already be introduced” says the lawyer. Bertacchi FIDC regional president. “On September 4th I sent our ideas to councilors Beduschi and Bertolaso, after the presentation of the new plan: now the ordinary hunting season has begun and the simplest thing has not been done, that is, increasing the possibilities of hunting at least in the areas not infected! The objectives of the plan are unachievable today: it is not enough to increase the plans (already today there are in fact no quantitative limitations on reductions) or to allocate funds. We need to standardize selective hunting to make it more effective across the entire territory, and we need to make the most of the potential of collective wild boar hunting. We also promote the training of "bioregulators", but it only sounds like an additional title for the same subjects who are already active".
Territorial operational groups
Bertacchi continues “If hunters are not involved in the territorial operational groups, their creation will be of no use. After all, the only ones available to intervene, rifle in hand, are the hunters, the agents of the Provincial Police and - a few - the Forestry Carabinieri. We need to optimize the available resources with a notion of cause" (source: FIDC Lombardia).