Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy), the party chaired by Giorgia Meloni (President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic), has managed to incorporate an amendment to the draft General Budget Law that could legalize the hunting of various species of wild fauna in cities, in protected areas (including natural parks) and at any time of the year (leaving closed seasons without effect) when the competent bodies consider it necessary to control the affected animals "for important and justified reasons related to the number of fauna or for particular environmental reasons, seasonal or climatic conditions or due to disease or other calamities".
The promoters emphasize that the legislative modification aims to facilitate the control of species that, like the wild boar, are causing safety or health problems in some cities and natural spaces.
On the other hand, various opposition parties and environmental groups have criticized the proposal on the grounds that it constitutes an attack on national and international regulations for the protection of fauna, increasing insecurity (due to the use of weapons in urban areas), reducing controls over hunters and not guarantee effective control of wildlife populations.
The bill has been called the "boar amendment," the "wild game amendment," or the "killer amendment."
The processing of this amendment (initially presented on December 14) was approved in committee on Wednesday the 21st and debated in plenary session on Thursday the 22nd, in the midst of a harsh political controversy.
Several Italian cities, including Rome, have experienced a notable increase in wild boar populations in recent years, even registering attacks on pedestrians by animals looking for food.
The appearance of some cases of swine fever in wild boars was used last summer to draw up a plan to exterminate hundreds of these animals in the Italian capital, although the drives have not been put into practice so far for security reasons and only specific actions have been carried out.
The environmental and conservation groups Enpa, Lav, Lipu and WWF-Italy demand, in a joint action, the withdrawal of the amendment, ensuring that its approval could even lead to sanctions by the European Union for violation of wildlife protection directives and the habitats.
"The 'killer' amendment - explain Enpa, Lav, Lipu and WWF - is clearly inadmissible since it has nothing to do with the spirit and functions of the Budget Law". "Despite the calls launched in recent days and our willingness to provide support to optimize the coexistence between anthropic activities and wildlife, the majority persists in the confrontation," the ecologists say.
"The amendment also presents specific profiles of unconstitutionality since -these associations point out- by opening protected territories to guns, it would end up depriving wild animals of those forms of protection clearly sanctioned by the recently reformed article 9 of the Constitution".
Angelo Bonelli (Verdi/Italian Left) considers that, "the majority of the right, violating norms and agreements on the works between the majority and the opposition, approved the amendment that introduces the hunting of all animal species in the economic maneuver parks and in cities at any time and in any period". "The rule will allow the culling of EU protected species, not just wild boars, such as wolves, bears, foxes and more in total violation of the Habitats Directive and article 9 of the constitution. They decided to kill protected animals in non-hunting areas as a favor to the hunting and gun lobby.
"We will fight in Parliament, but our complaint to the European Union is already ready because we are convinced that Italy will go into default by starting an infringement procedure against the Italian government," warns Angelo Bonell.
