Italian Public Strongly Opposes Hunting
Public Opposition to Hunting in Italy
Nationwide public opinion surveys in Italy clearly indicate widespread disapproval of hunting. In a May 2025 poll conducted by SWG for the bird protection organization LIPU, 7 out of 10 Italians rejected the idea of liberalizing hunting laws, a proposal backed by the far-right government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. 69% of respondents agreed that any reform of hunting laws should prioritize environmental and animal protection, while only 0.9% disagreed. Just 1.4% believed current regulations were overly restrictive for hunters and should be relaxed. LIPU’s president, Alessandro Polinori, summarized the results as a "70 to 1 victory for nature," emphasizing that hunting has become an outdated and culturally declining practice in Italy.
Recent polls confirm entrenched anti-hunting sentiment. In October 2025, Ipsos and Piepoli surveys commissioned by Fondazione Capellino found that 85% of Italians viewed hunting as a major public safety risk (Ipsos), and 71% saw it as dangerous to bystanders and pets (Piepoli). 78% of respondents (Ipsos) said that hunting is morally unacceptable due to the suffering it causes animals. Meanwhile, 94% (Piepoli) said that hunting should either be banned, severely limited, or at most remain unchanged under strict controls. Furthermore, 68–69% said hunting is a threat to biodiversity, and 71% of Piepoli respondents opposed any hunting of protected species.
download the research results in PDF (in Italian)
216-2025-ricerca-fondazione-capellino-risultati-rev1.pdf
report-indagine-ipsos_gli-italiani-e-la-caccia.pdf
A rural-focused survey conducted by Savanta/Ipsos in late 2024 for Eurogroup for Animals found that 83% of rural Italians preferred non-lethal, non-cruel methods for managing wildlife populations over hunting. 49% said they feel unsafe leaving home during hunting season, versus only 24% who felt secure. Pro-animal rights views also dominate: 79% of Italians believe wild animals are sentient beings worthy of protection, 76% prioritize biodiversity and animal welfare over hunting traditions, and 72% oppose hunting animals that were farm-raised and released solely for shooting.
These findings paint a consistent picture: Italians—urban and rural alike—overwhelmingly reject recreational killing of animals and demand greater nature protection, not increased freedoms for hunters. Public opposition has translated into civic action. In 2021, the grassroots campaign Sì Aboliamo la Caccia (“Yes, Let’s Abolish Hunting”) gathered the 500,000 signatures required for a national referendum on banning recreational hunting. Although the referendum was ultimately blocked by Italy’s Constitutional Court, the level of support demonstrated widespread resistance to hunting. A new signature drive in 2023 similarly mobilized hundreds of thousands before being halted due to timing constraints. Even without changing laws, these efforts sent a powerful signal to Italian lawmakers: recreational hunting has lost public legitimacy.
Controversial Hunting Law Reform Sparks Protests
Paradoxically, despite overwhelming public opposition, Italy’s far-right government introduced a bill to further relax hunting restrictions. Led by Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida (Brothers of Italy party), the proposed reform of Law 157/1992 would greatly expand hunters’ privileges at the expense of environmental safeguards. The Senate bill no. 1552, introduced in May 2025, includes the following provisions:
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Eliminating protective zones and periods: The bill would lengthen hunting seasons and broaden the list of areas where hunting is permitted. Italian media and environmental groups warned that this could legalize hunting on beaches, dunes, and meadows previously protected. A related amendment passed in September 2025 abolished a year-round ban on hunting in bird migration corridors near mountain passes. Instead of a 1000-meter buffer zone, a 5-day weekly ban was introduced for January only. The definition of “pass” was also narrowed to exclude many critical lower-elevation flyways. Conservationists warn this will enable mass shooting of migratory birds in key flight paths, violating the EU’s Birds Directive.
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Easing use of live decoys and high-tech weapons: The bill would legalize wider use of live animals as bait (decoys), previously restricted. It would also lift bans on night vision and thermal imaging equipment, currently outlawed under the Bern Convention. Critics warn this poses safety risks and undermines monitoring of nocturnal hunting.
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Opening protected lands to hunting: The reform would allow hunting in parts of national parks, nature reserves, and formerly off-limits state forests. Some Italian regions (e.g., Liguria, Lombardy, Campania, Trentino) have already authorized the killing of thousands of protected songbirds—like chaffinches and starlings—despite EU bans. The European Commission and Italian conservation groups have announced legal action against these regional rulings. The proposed national reform follows a similar trajectory.
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Removing hunter restrictions: The law would abolish current rules requiring hunters to declare a single hunting type (e.g., big game or waterfowl) per season. Critics say this promotes “hunting tourism” and turns wildlife management into unregulated exploitation.
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Public and Scientific Backlash
The reform has sparked strong resistance from environmentalists, scientists, and civil society groups. Over 30 NGOs—including LIPU, WWF Italy, LAV, and Legambiente—formed a united front and issued an open letter to PM Meloni and her ministers in May 2025, calling the bill dangerous and out of touch with public sentiment. They cite multiple surveys showing overwhelming support for biodiversity and animal welfare, not expanded hunting.
Despite the opposition, government officials tied to the agricultural and hunting lobbies continue to defend the bill. Minister Lollobrigida denied that the law is a “deregulation,” but hinted at potential revisions during parliamentary debate. Past actions suggest a pro-hunting stance: in early 2023, a separate law authorized the shooting of wild boars within city limits, previously banned. Critics argue the government prefers lethal, simplistic solutions to ecological issues, ignoring evidence that hunting pressure itself often causes ecological imbalance—including boar overpopulation.
Broader Relevance: Similar Tensions in Poland
Poland faces similar tensions between public opinion and hunting lobby influence. Though legal systems differ, public attitudes in both countries are strikingly aligned. Surveys from 2019 and 2024 show that the vast majority of Poles support stricter hunting regulations. For example, 92% support maintaining the ban on children participating in hunts (enacted in 2018), and 97% of parents with school-aged children back that law. Another 91% support the right to access public information on where and when hunts occur, enhancing safety. Additionally, 89% believe private landowners should be able to exclude hunting from their property—a right not fully realized in practice. Like in Italy, more than 90% of Poles support banning hunting of threatened bird species, and nearly two-thirds want to ban bird hunting altogether. Despite such clear public consensus, Polish hunting laws have changed little. Under pressure from hunting groups, even proposals for mandatory medical and psychological tests for hunters were blocked—despite 94% public support.
In both Italy and Poland, hunting is increasingly seen as a relic of the past, lacking public legitimacy. Citizens overwhelmingly call for nature protection and public safety, not expanded hunting rights. The Italian case shows that efforts to liberalize hunting laws may face widespread resistance, offering a critical lesson for other European countries navigating the future of wildlife governance.
