Our anti-hunting campaign in Italy
Pier Giovanni Capellino, founder of Almo Nature and the Fondazione Capellino, shares the thinking behind the anti-hunting campaign ‘Nothing justifies hunting’, launched by the Foundation in Italy in 2025:
The 'Nothing Justifies Hunting' campaign, which our Foundation has championed, also reflects my personal convictions and philosophy of life.
My views on hunting are strong. I am firmly opposed to it, to the point of believing it should be abolished.
However, in my role as President of Fondazione Capellino, I take a more measured and balanced position.
The Foundation’s aim is to protect biodiversity and promote the Reintegration Economy, an economic model centred on human work. It does not seek radical change, but instead builds on what already exists and supports a gradual transition over time.
In practical terms, through labour and capital, we produce food that respects the dogs and cats who share our homes. The profit generated, once the continuity of the business is secured, is not used for personal gain but is directed towards projects and initiatives that protect biodiversity.
Almo Nature is the means by which the Foundation ensures its financial independence. It was donated to the Foundation in 2019 as an irrevocable and permanent act.
In line with our values, and recognising that democracy is based on dialogue and compromise, not imposition, we believe the following:
Italy already has laws regulating hunting, and hunters have recognised rights, including from those who may not share their views.
So why ask for more? Why risk offending the sensibilities of other citizens, the majority of whom are opposed to hunting?
Those of us who oppose hunting have perhaps been too passive. Meanwhile, the push to extend hunting rights risks moving forward without sufficient public response.
This petition seeks to prevent, on behalf of wildlife, which has no voice, the expansion of hunting rights proposed in the new legislation.
To hunters, we say: you already have recognised rights. Respect them, and do not seek to extend them further.From a political perspective, many see this proposed expansion as out of step with the views of the majority of citizens, across different political perspectives. Low voter turnout also reflects a growing lack of confidence in political parties’ ability to address key issues.
Almo Nature itself reflects a contradiction: it relies on animal products to feed dogs and cats. More broadly, society is full of such contradictions. No one is entirely free from them. As individuals, we must approach these realities with humility, recognising that absolute truths are rare..
Almo Nature was founded at the start of the century with a number of partners. Although I could have sold the company, after several years of reflection we chose a different path. Together with the owners and employees at the time, we recognised that a company is more than a commercial asset.
When it is healthy, it should continue to serve a wider social purpose beyond private interests. In Northern Europe, this idea is often referred to as ‘steward ownership’.
My brother Lorenzo and I therefore decided not to sell the company, but to donate it to the Fondazione Capellino. The aim was to allow it to evolve over time, while remaining active in the market, and to support two main goals: the Reintegration Economy and the protection of biodiversity.
To avoid any misunderstanding, the gift tax was fully paid, with no tax advantage gained.
Political revolutions have often failed to deliver on their promises. For this reason, we have chosen a path of gradual change, while acknowledging the contradictions it may involve.
To those who disagree, I would simply ask: do you have alternative ideas or practical solutions? If so, they should be put forward.La caccia e l'industria della carne sono due cose diverse. Non si faccia confusione: la caccia non è una necessità, l'industria della carne va vissuta nel ruolo economico-storico che ha.
Indipendentemente dal fatto che io sia quasi vegetariano, questa rappresenta, per interposto del cibo e della cucina italiana, un vanto del nostro Paese nel mondo e non va buttato anche se, come il bellissimo documentario Food For Profit ha raccontato, c’è da rivedere e subito.
Wildlife is part of the national heritage and is protected by the Constitution. Senators currently debating this proposed law have a responsibility to safeguard it.
Expanding hunting rights would not support this goal, nor would it reflect the views of the majority of citizens.
The Senate is therefore called upon to act with care and responsibility..Hunters should not see themselves as beyond limits, but rather recognise the importance of respecting others ,including the many citizens who hold different views.
Pier Giovanni Capellino