Giorgia Meloni Declares War on Wildlife

Italian species and nature conservation organisations have learned of the contents of a draft law circulating in hunting circles, which the government may present at the next Council of Ministers session before forwarding it to parliament.

The text, steeped in ideology and hunting extremism, would effectively hand wildlife and natural areas — recognized in the constitution as the heritage of all citizens and future generations — over to hobby hunters, while making a mockery of science and the rights of citizens.

Environmental and animal protection organisations respond: Inadmissible arrogance, an act that bypasses the constitution and curtails the freedoms and rights of all, opening them up to unspeakable forms of violence against animals. We call upon the scientific and cultural world, and all those who care about nature and freedom, to stand together.

The devastating “government reform,” drawn up under the dictates of the extreme fringes of the hunting association and without any consultation with environmentalists, contains elements of blatant unconstitutionality and also contradicts the relevant European directives — but none of this appears to concern those in power: satisfying their own voter base is apparently worth the indiscriminate killing of hundreds of millions of animals, the privatisation of nature, and new infringement proceedings, for which neither the ministers nor the hobby hunters, but all Italian citizens, will pay, writes abolizionecaccia.it.

Since the beginning of the current legislative term, the Meloni government has been obsessed with hunting consensus and has prompted parliament to enact dozens of measures that gradually erode the protection of wildlife. As if that were not enough, it is now resorting to a drastic measure by attempting to silently pass a project that violates European regulations, harms animals as well as people, their safety, the freedom to enjoy protected areas, their feelings and culture, and the economic development of the country.

Environmental and animal protection organizations emphasize that we are standing before a ‘point of no return’. Whoever votes for this reform will be responsible for the worst assault on wildlife that has ever taken place! We expect a strong response from all opposition forces and call on the parliamentary majority to stop this disaster.

We therefore call on all those who love nature and feel compelled to defend it against these attacks: associations, institutions, science and culture, businesses and individual citizens.

Wildlife and the nature that shelters it are not the plaything of hobby hunters, they are not the leverage of politicians and the lobbies of hobby hunters and arms manufacturers. They are a common good that belongs to everyone.

The main horrors of the hunting reform of the government of Giorgia Meloni:

• Hunting on the beach, catching birds that must remain in cages for the rest of their lives, and no risks for poachers. 
• Hunting is transformed from a leisure activity into a practice that, by law, suddenly contributes to the protection of biodiversity and the ecosystem, while ignoring the actual impact on biodiversity conservation. A truly authoritarian act, carried out without any form of exchange with the world outside of recreational hunting.
• The areas in which hunting is permitted are being enormously expanded, with regulations and prohibitions reduced and in some cases abolished.
• The regions are obliged to reduce the size of protected areas when they are deemed “excessive”, according to an interpretation of the law that the Council of State has repeatedly found to be incorrect and which even provides for a power of substitution by the Minister of Agriculture.
• The facilities for live capture are being reopened, the number of species that may be caught is being increased from 7 to 36 (millions of animals currently living in freedom will end up imprisoned for life). All restrictions on the possession of bred decoy birds are being lifted. Controls become practically impossible, which favors poaching and wildlife trafficking.
• Hunting is permitted in state-owned areas such as beaches, dune areas, forests and meadows, posing enormous risks to hikers, vacationers, cyclists, etc.
• All restrictions on the construction of new permanent hunting grounds are being lifted, with enormous implications for tourism and lead shot pollution.
• Hunting with dogs and rifles is also permitted at night and during the breeding season.
• Hunting may be practiced on private land without regulations.
• Hunting licenses are issued to foreign nationals, and there is no training for foreign hobby hunters on Italian regulations.
• Hunting seasons are extended beyond February (before and during the nesting period).
• The number of species that may be hunted can be increased by politicians without prior scientific review.
• Hunting is also permitted after sunset, making species identification impossible and posing an enormous threat to public safety.
• Poaching is also permitted on snow-covered terrain so that animals can be tracked, and all others are disturbed even when they are in a vulnerable condition.
• Security personnel at banks and supermarkets are to be permitted to kill animals.
• Penalties of up to 900 euros are envisaged for persons who protest against the killing of animals as part of control measures. An amendment to the criminal and administrative penalty system to combat poaching and wildlife trafficking is not planned.