Accurate reporting
A decrease in applications received, but the count of assessed damages remains in line with those of previous years. This is the trend that emerges from the report on damages caused by wild fauna to agricultural production in province of Mantua, created by the Lombardy Region and presented a few days ago. The document, once again, describes a difficult situation: in 2024, in the period between January and September (so the final figure will be even higher), the total amount of damages assessed reached €743.222, down compared to the 2023 figure (€858.029) but substantially in line with that of 2022, when it reached just over €765.000. On the other hand, the applications received are down, reaching 151 (half of which were presented by Confagricoltura Mantova). There were 212 in 2023 and 223 in 2022: «The fact that the applications are decreasing but the damage count remains roughly the same – analyzes Alberto Cortesi, president of Confagricoltura Mantova – makes us understand the extent of the problem. This year, in fact, we have an average damage per single application of over €4.900. The increasingly complex management of wildlife is an alarming cost to our farms."
The importance of reporting
Of the total count, 133 applications were admitted for compensation, for a total of €526.498 (71% of the total). Of this last amount, €500.120 will be allocated by the Lombardy Region, while the remainder will be paid by ATC: «The drop in applications – continues Cortesi – I believe is due to two factors. The first is linked to the fact that many companies have exhausted the De Minimis, the state aid (up to €25.000, ed.) that does not require approval from Europe to be granted. Secondly, in the past many situations were not assessed properly, and this led to a loss of confidence in compensation. However, we always recommend reporting everything». Going into the details of the report, we see that the most affected crops in 2024 were watermelon (€258.545), soybeans (€91.911), grain corn (€84.201), melon (€63.047), nursery plants (€58.142) and rice (€36.764). These crops represent 79,5% of the total damage assessed.
The species in detail
Moving on to the details of the species that cause damage, in first place we find the hare, with €461.806, followed by the grey crow (€36.405), pigeon (€37.341), pheasant (€25.286), ducks (€33.644), wild boars (€6.984), wood pigeon (€4.040) and roe deer (€1.738). The count does not include coypus, which are not eligible for compensation under current national law. At a geographical level, the most affected ATC (Territorial and Hunting Areas) area is, like last year, area 6, that is, the left Mincio, between Roverbella and Ostiglia, with €199.179. In second place is ATC 4 (right Mincio) with €155.175, in third place is ATC 1 (from Quistello to Felonica) with €151.022. «In the last five years – Cortesi analyses – the amount of damage caused by wild fauna reaches almost 4 million euros, a worrying figure. We have seen, with avian flu and Psa, what are the risks of an uncontrolled spread of wild animals, the competent authorities must begin to seriously address the issue» (source: Confagricoltura Mantova).
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