Today, Wednesday 17 June, the Senate resumes the examination of Bill 1552, the controversial bill on hunting which for weeks has been fueling an increasingly heated clash between the Government and the environmentalist world.
For Enpa, Lac, Lav, Legambiente, Lipu-BirdLife Italia and WWF Italia the “shooter bill” is in fact the “most serious recent attack on animals, nature and human safety”.
The associations have launched the #iomioppongo campaign and are calling for a transversal mobilization to stop what they define as a measure capable of overturning the current legislation on the protection of wildlife. According to environmentalists, in fact, the text wanted by the majority and supported by the Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida does not limit itself to modifying some hunting rules, but introduces changes that could have profound consequences on biodiversity, the safety of citizens and the management of natural areas.
View this post on Instagram
What would change if the bill were approved
The criticisms focus above all on the expansion of the possibilities for hunting. Among the most disputed points are:
The associations also denounce the opening to hunting on the beach, on boats and in some state-owned areas, together with the use of silencers, a measure that according to opponents would make controls more difficult and increase the risk of illegal activities.
Another very delicate aspect concerns protected areas: according to Enpa, the bill would oblige Regions and parks to review the extension of protected areas within twelve months, with the risk of reducing their surface area to allow the expansion of hunting activity. A perspective that the associations consider incompatible with the biodiversity crisis that Europe is going through.
Furthermore, among the strongest arguments put forward by the opponents of the measure is that of public safety. According to Annamaria Procacci, head of Wildlife at Enpa, between 2007 and 2025 hunting accidents caused 462 victims. An average of around 26 deaths every year for an activity that does not represent an essential service but a recreational practice.
For this reason the association asks for the intervention of the Ministry of the Interior, arguing that expanding hunting spaces and opportunities would also mean increasing the risks for those who frequent woods, countryside, beaches and natural areas.
Gaia Animali & Ambiente and several members of the parliamentary opposition also joined the mobilization. The 5 Star Movement has defined the Bill as a “declaration of war on nature and biodiversity“, announcing a battle in the Chamber. According to Gaia Animali & Ambiente, Parliament is dedicating time and resources to a reform that does not address any of the country’s real emergencies: from the climate crisis to the difficulties of agriculture, passing through the decline of ecosystems and wild species.
The clash is destined to accompany the parliamentary debate in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, outside the Senate, there is growing mobilization among those who fear that this reform could mark a step backwards in the protection of nature precisely at a time when the biodiversity crisis would require measures of the opposite nature.
Sources: ENPA / Lipu
