Definition of the competences of local authorities, joint path with trade associations, an annual fund of 500 thousand euros and above all new initiatives to contain a problem that is causing considerable damage to Lombard agriculture, while at the same time creating a danger to safety. They are the contents of the new Lombard law for the containment and eradication of nutria, approved on Tuesday morning by the Regional Council. "There Lombardy region - explained the councilor for Agriculture, Food and Green Systems, Fabio Rolfi - wants to take all possible actions to contain a huge problem, represented by the proliferation of nutria.
With the 500 thousand euros provided for by the new regional law, we will launch a tender to experiment with companies specialized in 'pest control'. With a large number of cages they will support the volunteers in this activity, defining objectives and action areas. In the United States and other countries, these interventions have worked. In addition to endangering the profitability of farms, the otters dig tunnels that cause subsidence of the embankments and of the land and, consequently, also of the neighboring roads. They represent a risk to road safety. Those who travel along the provincial roads on the plains know how easy it is to see one of these rodents crossing the roadway ".
The approved amendments to the law introduce greater administrative and operational flexibility for local authorities and operators e ensure clarity of roles. The Municipalities will be competent in the management of overpopulation and will cooperate, also in associated form, in the eradication plans prepared by the Provinces. They will be able to enter into agreements with hunting associations, territorial hunting areas and alpine areas to support control activities, following the guidelines indicated by the Region. The Provinces will prepare the plans, organize the collection and disposal of carcasses and set up coordination tables with the interested parties. The Region will carry out a programming based on the consistency of the species and will issue guidelines for the activities of the municipalities.
The tools allowed for hunting - as regards eradication methodologies, the new classification provides for common firearms, controlled gasification, controlled sterilization, the use of traps with subsequent killing of the animal with narcotics, compressed air weapons or common firearms, scientific methods and tools made available by the scientific community and any other system validated by the Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (Ispra) or by the National Reference Center for Animal Welfare. Another rule concerns the possibility for the Provinces, in agreement with the mayors of the Municipalities concerned, to authorize the municipal and provincial police, the voluntary hunting agents, the security guards, operators of hydraulic supervision, operators of irrigation consortia, those in charge of "pest control" companies, hunters and owners or tenants of agricultural land.
It is established that the eradication of otters takes place at any time of the year on all the regional territory also that prohibited from hunting and 500 thousand euros are allocated for 2022 and another 500 thousand euros for 2023. “I thank the Regional Council - concluded Rolfi - for the work done. Modernize the norm, sharing the path with all institutions and associations, was fundamental. Now we ask the Government to listen to a unanimous appeal from the Regions of the Po Valley: to treat the nutria as a national emergency and to set up a large ministerial fund to tackle the problem jointly and seriously ".