Three thousand farmers and dozens of tractors they besieged the center of the city of Pescara to say no to the estimated one hundred and fifty thousand wild boars (but there are certainly more), free to devastate the fields and threaten the lives of motorists due to delays in the implementation of the regional containment plan. This is what Coldiretti states on the occasion of the regional mobilization which took place this morning, effectively blocking the city centre, colored by the waving of the inevitable yellow flags, as has already happened in some regions such as Lombardy, Calabria and Sardinia, where the problems caused by wildlife are many and unresolved.
Coldiretti’s farmers arrived in Pescara since the early hours of this morning, hundreds on buses organized for the occasion, just as many with cars or public transport to meet at 9, as scheduled, in Piazza della Repubblica. From here, a long procession of people along Corso Vittorio Emanuele, exceptionally closed to cars, as had not been seen for years. Some farmers remember the last event of this magnitude, it was in fact the 90s.
“The problem is serious, the time for answers has come – Pietropaolo Martinelli, president of Coldiretti Abruzzo, said into the megaphone, inaugurating the long procession of all ages which at 10.00 sharp began to parade in the heart of Pescara with signs, whistles and banners, followed by emergency vehicles and a long procession of tractors, asking for immediate and necessary intervention to contain the wild boar population, now out of control. All wearing hats, strictly yellow, the farmers shouted – anticipated by the rhythm of the drums – slogans such as “Enough wild boars!”, “We have fields full of them”, “People’s safety first of all” arousing the curiosity of many people from Pescara to whom a flyer was given with the reasons for the mobilization. A noisy but orderly procession, also thanks to the intervention of the police who escorted the demonstrators. “It is necessary to immediately apply at a regional level the measures envisaged by the inter-ministerial decree launched last year for the adoption of an extraordinary plan for the management and containment of uncontrolled wildlife – explained Martinelli – We ask that, in the Region’s plan Abruzzo, the active involvement of the owners and managers of the funds equipped with a license for hunting is envisaged and the establishment of a body of volunteer Guards, at provincial level, to fill the staffing deficit of the local police with the possibility of also acting in protected areas”.
Arriving in Piazza Unione, the Coldiretti leaders followed one another onto the stage set up for the rally, flanked by a seven-metre banner on the protection of Made in Italy. Speakers included Emanuela Ripani, president of Coldiretti Teramo; Pier Carmine Tilli, president of Coldiretti Chieti, Alfonso Raffaele, president of Coldiretti L’Aquila, and Giuseppe Scorrano, president of Coldiretti Pescara, who recalled the devastated fields and the companies closed due to the damage caused by wild boars, in addition to the general situation that Agriculture is alive at the moment, damaged by downy mildew and by the increase in management costs which have especially affected the most fragile sectors such as livestock farming. Around, flags waving, drums and whistles to attract attention but also dozens of tricolor bands of the mayors present, including the mayor of Pescara Carlo Masci who spoke on stage. At midday, after receiving President Martinelli and Director Rampazzo, the President of the Abruzzo Region Marco Marsilio and the Councilor for Agriculture Emanuele Imprudente descended among the demonstrators and met with the farmers in the protest, ensuring that they would immediately take charge of the problem and give the expected answers.
“The problem is very serious, we have been saying it for years, and now at a national level there are also the legislative tools to deal with a situation that has become unsustainable – underlined Martinelli – just think that, in the last year, serious accidents caused by animals have increased of 7.8% and we must consider that in many cases the motorists involved do not report the accident knowing that it is unlikely that they will be compensated later. Added to this is the situation of farmers – added Martinelli – the damage caused by wild animals is reimbursed little and often after years, so much so that many give up reporting the attacks they have suffered”. But there are also other problems in the sector. “Every time a farm closes, a heritage of tradition and culture, of stewardship of the territory and a genuine economy that has made our land great – underlined Rampazzo – is lost. We have given President Marsilio a draft resolution to be approved by the question of wild boars, on downy mildew we ask the Region for rapid and certain times on the measures implemented and being defined while at national level a precise definition of the amount of support available to the sector”. Among the topics of the mobilization also the protection of Made in Italy food and the harsh attack on the “Mediterranean” alliance, defined by director Rampazzo as “a handful of multinationals which, with the complicity of Unionfood and Confagricoltura in tow, while declaring to operate for strengthen supply chains, are attempting to expropriate a thousand-year-old heritage such as the Mediterranean Diet, destroy the Italian agri-food system and implement unfair practices towards farmers in favor of junk food giants and promoters of artificial food”. “Special thanks for the success of today’s demonstration goes to the Police Headquarters and to all the police forces who allowed the event to take place in a smooth and orderly manner” concluded Rampazzo.
