Animal rights groups challenge Italy's hunting law reforms as unconstitutional

A coalition of Italian environmental and animal rights organizations has voiced strong opposition to proposed reforms of hunting legislation, deeming them unconstitutional and a step backward. During a hearing at the Chamber of Agriculture, groups including WWF, Lipu, Enpa, and Legambiente presented a united front against the bill.

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I am a parliamentarian representing the majority that presented this bill. But this battle for animals is a battle for civilization and cannot be attributed to one political party.

Lawmaker Michela Vittoria Brambilla, despite belonging to the majority party that introduced the bill, declared her support for the animal rights cause, calling it a matter of civilization. She urged her colleagues to recognize the significant flaws in the proposed legislation, which she described as containing "gross errors." Brambilla highlighted concerns that the reforms would increase the number of huntable species and extend hunting periods, even into breeding seasons and nighttime for ungulates, a situation she finds deeply problematic.

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Those who support this text must understand that it is not good and that it must be changed. There are gross errors, and the important thing is to remedy them.

Brambilla also revealed that she has faced severe personal insults and threats on social media after denouncing the bill's shortcomings. She has filed two police reports but remains resolute in her commitment to the cause, stating that intimidation will not deter her. The animal rights groups echoed her concerns, raising doubts about the bill's constitutionality under articles related to environmental protection, public safety, and state heritage. They pointed to statistics showing hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries from hunting accidents in Italy since 2007.

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After denouncing the critical issues of this text, I was overwhelmed on social media by very serious personal offenses and threats to my safety.

Further objections include the proposed new role for hunters as "bioregulators" and the potential weakening of the Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (Ispra), whose opinions would no longer be binding. These concerns contrast with the government's stance, as previously articulated by Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida, who expressed a desire to eliminate "interpretive distortions" of European regulations and modify the existing hunting law from 1992.

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The hunting of ungulates is permitted even in the snow at night. I am frankly in difficulty.