Lucrezia Ciotti Hunting has been suspended throughout Sicily following the Regional Administrative Court's decision canceling the 2026-2027 hunting calendar. The measure was based on the failure to revise the regional wildlife plan, which remained in place for the 2013-2018 period.
The Regional Administrative Court (TAR) intervenes on the hunting calendar: what changes will happen in Sicily?
The planning of the Sicilian hunting season has been the subject of a new ruling by the administrative courts.
With a ruling filed on October 30, 2026 , the Palermo Regional Administrative Court (TAR) annulled the regional act regulating hunting activities for the 2026-2027 period. This result was achieved by two organizations committed to protecting animals and the environment, Pro Natura Aps and LEAL, which had challenged the legitimacy of the provisions approved by the Region.
As reported by Palermo Today and Il Giornale di Sicilia , the crux of the dispute concerns the documentation used to define the hunting rules: it was said that an updated framework on the distribution and condition of the island's wildlife was missing. The previous plan, covering the years 2013-2018, was not renewed, despite the legislation requiring periodic inspections.
Hence the judges' decision to annul the ministerial decree of May 21, 2026. According to the associations' communication, the ruling determines the immediate ban on hunting throughout the region . The Region was also ordered to pay €4.000 for the costs incurred in the proceedings.
Associations rejoice: "Environmental protection must prevail."
For Pro Natura and LEAL, the ruling represents an important reminder of the responsibilities of public administrations in managing natural heritage . As reported by Palermo Today , the appellants' position was expressed by lawyers Luca D'Agostino, Aurora Rosaria Loprete, and Mariachiara Giovinazzo, who emphasized the relationship between ecosystem protection and hunting. " The Sicilian Regional Administrative Court's ruling forcefully reinstates the legality and primacy of environmental protection and biodiversity over hunting, in perfect accordance with the principles of Article 9 of our Constitution ," they stated.
In challenging the way the timetable was drawn up, the lawyers emphasized the inadequacy of a document dating back over ten years as a basis for authorizing the harvest of wild fauna. " The judges have made it unequivocally clear that serious and up-to-date scientific wildlife planning is essential ," they added, calling the failure to update the plan " a serious flaw in the preliminary investigation and a violation of the precautionary principle ."