Hunting, the government changes the rules: from weapons to suspension days, all the novelties

The draft bill, which allows hunting activities, consists of 18 articles, according to the amendment of law 157 of 11 February 1992, the one that regulated this activity for the first time in Italy. In the text of the measure, the first article regulates 'the management and protection of homeothermic wild fauna, as well as hunting'.

Subsequently, Article 8 regulates the weapons permitted for hunting, such as: "the shotgun with smooth-bore barrel up to two shots, repeating and semi-automatic, with a magazine containing no more than two cartridges, of calibre not exceeding 12; the shotgun with rifled-bore barrel with single manual loading or semi-automatic repeating of calibre not less than 5.6 millimetres equipped with an approved or catalogued magazine a two- or three-barrelled (combination) shotgun, one or two of which is a smooth-bore shotgun of calibre not exceeding 12 millimetres and one or two of which is a rifled-bore shotgun of calibre not less than 5.6 millimetres; the bow; the falcon'. It is also provided that the magazines of semi-automatic repeating rifled-bore shotguns may not contain more than two cartridges during hunting activity and may contain up to five cartridges limited to hunting wild boar.

On timing, the amendments stipulate that 'except for the selection hunting of ungulates and the hunting of additional species identified by decree of the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, adopted in agreement with the Minister of the Environment and Energy Security, on the proposal of the National Technical Committee for Fauna and Venison (Ctfvn), after consulting the Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (Ispra), hunting may not be permitted for more than three days a week. The regions may allow the hunter a free choice. On Tuesdays and Fridays, hunting is in any case suspended'.

"Farmers, as well as landowners and tenants, provided they have a hunting licence and have attended the training courses authorised by the competent bodies, may, upon application, be authorised by the Region or the Autonomous Province to carry out wild boar (sus scrofa) control activities. As compensation for the damage suffered and the costs incurred, farmers, landowners and tenants may retain the animals killed in the course of the control activities referred to in the preceding sentence, provided that the animals have undergone hygienic and sanitary analyses and present no health risks'. This is stipulated in Article 12 of the draft decree amending the national law regulating hunting.

Not without controversy is the proposed amendment to the law that, if approved, "would cancel the last 60 years of policies, commitments and actions of Italy to protect and conserve wild animals, trampling, at the same time, on Article 9 inserted in 2022 in the principles of the Constitution, which obliges the State, through its laws, to ensure the protection of animals," says Stefano Ciafani, national president of Legambiente . On the day of the tenth anniversary of the law on environmental crimes in the Penal Code, Legambiente, makes a strong appeal to the President of the Council, Giorgia Meloni: "Prevent this legislative havoc and instead commit herself, together with the government - concludes Ciafani - to complete that reform of civilisation started in 2015, finally approving effective and dissuasive sanctions against those who commit crimes against animals, starting from poaching and trafficking of protected species, as provided for by the European directive on the criminal protection of the environment".