The official presentation
For the protection of the agroforestry-pastoral economic activity from the demographic explosion of the wild fauna, for a rebalancing of the wild species, for a full valorisation of the hunting reserves, for the protection of the right of use of the tenant owner, of the fruits of the rural and forest funds of the which it has: these are the main objectives that are intended to be achieved with the Manifesto written by Confagricoltura Umbria and EPS Umbria (Game Producers Body). Manifesto which was presented on Monday 8 May, during a press conference in Perugia, by Fabio Rossi, president of Confagricoltura Umbria, and Alessandro Monacelli, president of EPS Umbria, to the regional councilor for agriculture Roberto Morroni. What the initiators wish for is in fact a positive dialogue with the public administration but also with all the subjects involved in the general interest of agriculture, the rural economy and the promotion of the regional community. In fact, all subjects who believe they find themselves in these positions have been publicly asked to act together to pursue objectives of safeguarding economic activities and sustainability in the general interest of the region.
The proliferation of ungulates
Focusing on a constant activity of control but also of containment of wildlife is what Confagricoltura Umbria has always required. In Umbria, in fact, the proliferation of ungulates (wild boar, roe deer, fallow deer) and other critical species (corvids, coypu, etc...) is a deeply felt problem that causes serious damage to the agricultural economy but also to the safety of citizens, as well than an issue related to issues such as health and ecology. Biodiversity is also at risk due to the proliferation of some species due to others. After the national government has recently amended the art. 19 of Law no. 157/1992, strengthening the tools for containing wildlife, especially the wild boar species, Confagricoltura Umbria and EPS Umbria (Ente Produttori Game) urge the Umbria Region to rapidly start the regulatory updating processes to allow for an adaptation process and, where necessary, of modification, given that in Umbria the individual control plans are activated periodically. In fact, the new structure clarifies that containment campaigns can be activated throughout the year even in protected areas, using various intervention methods.
Damages and losses
Throughout the region we are witnessing devastation of crops and pastures. The legitimate business right, violated due to the absence of effective control and containment, does not receive compensation for all the damages suffered. It is in fact known that the De Minimis, which defines a derisory ceiling, does not ensure adequate compensation for the loss of the product to medium and large companies. After the devastation due to the passage of wild animals, the damage calculation based on the estimate of the lost product valued with the average values found on the reference commodity exchange are not added: the multi-year loss of production, the loss of added value for productions are transformed, the loss of market shares, structural damage to tree crops and pastures, the loss of land value. Farmers, before compensation for damages, want to exercise the right to cultivate, raise and create an economy with their productions and ask that the species fall within sustainable demographic limits. The wild boar in particular, as well as causing direct damage to the farmer, is a source of zoonoses, diseases transmissible to humans, cause of road accidents and attacks on humans. It is a dominant species which has led to the demographic decline of other wild animals, it is a depleting species of undergrowth products. Rossi and Monacelli state that “the study of the best experiences implemented in other regions is therefore urgently needed to adapt them to the Umbrian case, by reviewing laws and regulations. It is necessary to study and replicate those regulatory and application experiences that have started a trend reversal with determination and perseverance".
The need for containment
“A solution to the problem must be found – said Rossi – which also concerns agricultural activity and the freedom to cultivate certain crops or not. An important battle therefore for farmers but also for the community because ungulates are also a problem from the point of view of maintaining the landscape and the territory. We are witnessing a depletion of the activities in the hills, with no more crops, and this does not lead to woods but uncultivated land. We have to re-appropriate our hills and re-beautify them also with the new supply chains and for this we need containment. If there are no farmers and growers on the hills because there are wild boars, the landscape that distinguishes our region will no longer exist". “The wild boars in Umbria have reached an out-of-control population of 150 – added Monacelli – and the killings done during the hunting season are no longer sufficient. We therefore propose solutions through a network contract that aims to bring all the operators in the sector into agreement”. “On these points – Morroni affirmed – there is complete harmony and I express my appreciation for the continuous confrontation with Confagricoltura. The subject placed at the center is very attentive to the regional government and in particular to the councillorship, given that with our arrival and thanks to the interlocution with the agricultural and hunting world we have thought of measures, as far as our competences are concerned, to give a turning point and which have marked a clear break with the past, attacking this problem and also defending the legitimate interests of farmers. On this issue, however, there shouldn't be who is on one side and who is on the other, but an alliance between the agricultural and hunting worlds is needed. Steps forward have been made and others must be made but the path is the right one". For Confagricoltura and EPS it is necessary to re-limit the areas suitable and not suitable for the wild boar species, providing that all territories characterized by the presence of agricultural crops, livestock, agritourism and accommodation activities, in addition to urban and peri-urban areas, are included in areas not vocate.
The necessary legislation
It is also necessary to prepare legislation for the development of the game meat supply chain so that the management of ungulates is no longer just a tool for preventing and reducing damage to crops but also an economic opportunity for the sustainability of farm income . In addition to the free territory, there are territories subject to hunting concessions in which the concessionaire manages the ecological balance. Hunting reserves are an important tool that has not yet been adequately exploited, places where concessionaires are in a position to be able to implement plans capable of managing and keeping wild species in balance. These are important activities that can be a stimulus for economic development also linked to the hunting tourism segment and important tourist services, creating a benefit for the territories. Thus affirming the strategic role of private wildlife-hunting and agritourism-hunting reserves, the main objective of EPS (Ente Produttori Selvaggina), means guaranteeing, in fact, environmental sustainability of the territory, but at the same time also supplementing the income of the aforementioned realities . Confagricoltura Umbria and Eps Umbria, in line with the national level, are therefore ready to implement any initiative necessary to affirm the strategic role of farms and wildlife-hunting and agritourism-hunting companies in protecting the environment, biodiversity for the maintenance of ecosystems of fauna and flora, in a manner compatible with agricultural activities.
The goals to be achieved
To this end, Confagricoltura Umbria and Eps Umbria deem it absolutely necessary to achieve the following objectives:
Protect the farmer's right to the production of vegetable and animal agricultural products; affirm the usefulness of farms, wildlife hunting and agritourism hunting farms as a tool for the supervision and management of the territory, allowing the direct valorisation by the owners, managers or concessionaires of game, but also of forest and undergrowth products (mushrooms, truffles, etc.) as a legitimate source of income and environmental sustainability of the area; promote the establishment of new AFV and AATV up to the achievement of the territorial limits established by art. 10 paragraph 5 Law 11 February 1992 n. 157 (in Umbria 13% expected – current 8%); promote in the institutional offices the extension of the duration of the concessions issued for the AFV and AATV (from the current 5 years to 10 years); eliminate from regional legislation the obligation of a 500-metre corridor between two public and private institutes (e.g. between an existing ZRC and a new AATV or AFV) as in many other Italian regions; obtain the concession to collect migratory species also within the AFV of the Umbria Region as envisaged throughout the national territory; simplify the procedures for issuing authorizations for the containment of critical species (wild boar, foxes, corvids); promote the activation of measures within the PSR for the AFV and AATV for the implementation of environmental improvement interventions and for the management of the territory and fauna; promote forms of collaboration on the territory between owners and hunters in order to pursue the common objective of a demographic reduction of species harmful to agriculture.
In conclusion, Confagricoltura Umbria and Eps Umbria support the right of agricultural entrepreneurs to defend agricultural production and are convinced that hunting in the reserves can represent an opportunity for the economic sustainability of agricultural income and for environmental protection. "It is necessary to protect the right to enjoyment of the property of the legitimate owner or tenant - conclude Rossi and Monacelli - given that there are constantly attempts to limit these rights, exercised in compliance with the rules, to forcibly create spaces of enjoyment for third parties".