I am writing to you, as chairman of the National Hunting and Nature Committee, driven by a sense of urgency, because I believe that today we are in Italy at a crossroads and the choices we make will have a profound impact on the future of our entire sector. Over the past year we have had to face the threat posed by the referendum to abolish hunting. The failure of the initiative marked a clear victory in our favor, but we cannot be under any illusions: we have won an important battle, but the war is not over. Even the recent approval by Parliament of the proposed constitutional law that included environmental protection in the Italian Constitution was not exempt from the attempt by some to insert a formulation that could lead to a halt in hunting activities.
To cope with these repeated attacks, a decisive change of pace is necessary, because continuing as we have done up to now with great commitment, but with limited means and resources, it is no longer a viable road. In order to try to make a real change to the current situation and start a new season for the world of hunting, we must give our all, gather the forces available by calling together all the players in our sector who are connected in various ways. to the CNCN: from arms and ammunition producers, to hunting associations, to associations such as Assoarmieri up to realities such as UNA Foundation, which is the spokesperson for the demands for renewal of the sector.
For this reason, with the aim of making our voice and our reasons heard loudly, we have decided to launch an ambitious project of relaunch of hunting to be implemented through a communication plan with a strong media impact, which will be declined both in the traditional press and on social media and which has the following objectives:
1) Promote hunting as a sustainable activity that plays a fundamental and essential role for the protection of biodiversity and of balances of nature.
2) Position the hunter as a "Paladin of the Territory" who, as such, acts in nature in full compliance with current legislation and, therefore, far from the figure of the poacher. The "Paladin of the Territory" it is also involved in the protection of protected species and the balance of fauna, as well as in safeguarding the principles of biodiversity.
3) To reinvigorate the pride of a sector that has a significant economic and employment impact and that can further strengthen its contribution in this sense with the creation of specialized supply chains such as that of game meats.
4) Reconnect with the new generations to make the cultural and value baggage of an activity that is an integral part of our tradition and has its roots in the history of man: hunting has always meant taking care of one's community, learning about nature, the balance between flora and fauna, protecting the environment and the territory that hosts us.
To achieve these ambitious goals and to be successful in this challenge, the collaboration of all the subjects that revolve around the company is needed world of hunting, so that each one gives his active and effective contribution. Naturally, in order to launch an information campaign with a strong impact, it is also necessary to increase the economic commitment in the field: for this purpose we are collecting important contributions from the operators in the sector, first and foremost from the companies producing arms and ammunition, which will go to finance directly the extraordinary media communication plan traditional and on social media. At the same time, a residual part of the resources aimed at this operation will also be collected through a minimum adjustment of the price of ammunition and related components.
We are aware that, after the difficult years of the pandemic, any small effort can appear onerous, but please consider it not as an expense but as a necessary investment to defend the very existence of what for all of us is not just a job or a profession, but a vocation and a true passion. I trust that I have clarified our reasons and objectives in the best possible way, and I hope that you understand and share the choices we are making to protect the entire sector. In this perspective, I believe it is of fundamental importance, on a project of this magnitude, to build a stable relationship with hunting associations and the distribution network, also to better understand the needs of the world of gunsmiths and of all fans of our sector. and being able to communicate effectively with end users, primarily hunters (President of the National Hunting and Nature Committee - Maurice Zipponi).