Government under fire over 'concessions'

Less than 24 hours after the hunters' federation shot down the "package" on hunting and trapping negotiated so far with the European Union, BirdLife Malta called on the government to take bird protection seriously and stop negotiating a favourable deal for Maltese hunters and trappers.

On Wednesday, the Federation for Hunting and Conservation heavily criticised the package for permitting fewer species to be shot or trapped in spring and placing a temporary moratorium on new trapping licences.

In a strongly worded statement, BirdLife Malta yesterday said: "Government has been heeding a small sector but ignoring the majority of the Maltese people who are fed up of the arrogance, disrespect and willful indiscriminate destruction of birds by the majority of Maltese hunters."

BirdLife said it was "disgusted" that government had confirmed so blatantly its intention to uphold the "barbaric destruction" of birds by trying to negotiate special terms and conditions.

Alternattiva Demokratika yesterday also strongly condemned the agreement, calling it totally unacceptable that the government had given in to pressure from the hunting lobby.

However, the parliamentary secretary responsible for the environment, George Pullicino, said the government was appealing for common sense to prevail over an emotional reaction to the issue.

"It has always been the government's intention to negotiate a package that would guarantee the tradition of hunting and trapping and at the same time safeguard protected birds."

Mr Pullicino denied that the suggestions of the hunters' federation had been ignored, as the federation has alleged.

"On the contrary, the government itself had invited the federation to bring over a foreign expert to discuss the issue. Most of the suggestions that emerged from this meeting were incorporated in the negotiations."

Mr Pullicino said the suggestion that Malta should be given the concession that had been granted to Greenland could never have been considered because the reasons for hunting and trapping in Malta and Gozo were different to those of Eskimos in Greenland.

Mr Pullicino reiterated that the common position reached with the EU guaranteed that hunting in spring for turtle dove and quail would continue from March 25 until May 21.

The birds on the hunting list in the official regulations would remain unchanged, while every other activity of the tradition would be kept, including hunting at sea from three kilometres away from the shore.

Mr Pullicino also said that all trappers would continue to practise their traditional trapping on seven finches, among others, without any difficulty.

Before issuing any further licences, the government was committed to preparing a study on trapping, which would have to be carried out by a committee that would include a representative of the hunting and trapping lobby.

Mr Pullicino also said that the government had agreed with the European Commission on the need for all the parties concerned to work together to strengthen law enforcement - as has been the case so far.

"The fact that there are still those who infringe the law does not justify the abolition of hunting and trapping. However, the strengthening of law enforcement will remain one of the main government targets."

Mr Pullicino said that over the past three years the police and armed forces had worked together to ensure that no hunting and trapping would take place in nature reserves and protected areas.

"The figures speak for themselves and everyone is recognising that there has been improvement in this sense.

"In Buskett and the channel between Gozo and Malta, cases of abuse have decreased markedly."

Mr Pullicino said that nobody should expect the problem to be resolved in the short-term.

"For the forces of law and order to be further assisted, four-wheel vehicles and dinghies were assigned to them and talks are under way for the Administrative Law Enforcement unit to be strengthened with more manpower in the crucial periods of the year."

Mr Pullicino stressed that the agreement reached in the negotiations made sense because it took into account the interests of all the Maltese and Gozitans.

"Above all, a balance has been struck between tradition and the conservation of environment."

Yesterday BirdLife Malta said that rather than clamping down on illegal hunting, the government had continued to weaken bird protection while claiming that it was environmentally friendly.

"Government has not guaranteed a proper enforcement of the bird protection laws and has continuously ignored BirdLife Malta's calls to give the ALE enough personnel. Such an arrangement will simply maintain a situation that is utterly impossible to enforce."

BirdLife Malta said that in the wake of the swans' killing in January, the massacre of Garganey ducks in March and the massacre of Honey Buzzards in May, and continued widespread indiscriminate illegal hunting all over the islands, government had failed to take effective steps to control the bloodsport.

"In light of this we cannot understand how the government insists on honouring its promises to the hunting minority to maintain a status quo for hunting in Malta."

BirdLife Malta also called on the hunters' federation to live up to their 'conservationist' title and accept the fact that hunting in spring decimated bird populations.

"Malta is strategically located on the central Mediterranean flyway which means that spring hunting, even on turtle dove and quail, would affect European populations.

"If what has been stated in the hunters' news conference is true, then this is a matter of serious concern. It implies the continued massacre of protected birds.

"Worse still, hunting in spring is internationally unacceptable and cannot be tolerated by any modern standards. BirdLife Malta has notified BirdLife International about this state of affairs and will be working closely with its international partners to secure a safer future for birds." The organisation said it had already made it clear that should the Maltese people choose to join the EU, Malta should adopt the nature protection directives in their entirety.

But should Malta opt to stay out, then drastic changes to the laws were required to secure the safety of migratory birds, especially in spring.

"The issue is bird protection, not EU membership."

BirdLife said it would strongly object to a deal that would sustain a minority bloodsport which constantly embarrassed Malta before the world.

"This move by the government seeks to ensure the flourishing of what has become the prime national shame."

AD spokesman on EU Affairs Arnold Cassola said: "It is totally unacceptable that the government has given in to the pressure of the hunting lobby and has spent a good part of its time and energy to negotiate concessions for Maltese hunters in order to enable them to hunt in spring. This is absolutely appalling.

"As a result of the Maltese hunters' blackmail and of the government's willingness - together with the Labour Party - to accept the blackmail, there will be two kinds of victims.

"The first are the 10 different species of bird that will be brutally shot down or trapped in spring during the nesting period.

"The second will be the majority of the Maltese population, who will continue to be selfishly deprived by the hunting community of the already limited open spaces and countryside available in our country.

"Moreover, to add insult to injury, the government has gone out of its way to ensure that the European Union would accept that such barbarous activities as hunting at sea three kilometres away from shore would be allowed to continue".

AD, through its activities in Malta and in the European Parliament, would continue to pursue the interests of the majority of the Maltese in order to ensure that hunting in spring would be abolished in Malta.

"Such commitment will be enshrined in the electoral manifesto which Alternattiva Demokratika is drawing up at the moment," he said.