BirdLife urges EU action against Malta

BirdLife Malta yesterday called on Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström and the European Commission to stop being soft with Malta and check out the rampant hunting violations.

Commissioner Wallström should put pressure on the government to abide by its commitments, BirdLife said.

A letter was recently sent to Ms Wallstrom to explain that thousands of protected birds were being gunned down indiscriminately.

Hunting abuse had spiralled out of control and the only solution was to stop hunting altogether - at least when protected birds are migrating, BirdLife president Joseph Mangion said during a news conference.

Among other items, in the negotiations, Malta expressed its intention to use Article 9 of the Birds Directive to allow hunting of turtle doves and quail in spring, and ensured that adequate administrative capacity and sufficient legal instruments to curb illegal hunting would be taken.

None of the above has been implemented in Malta and the truth was that hunters were killing protected birds, Mr Mangion said. Up to 90 per cent of birds flying into Malta were being shot, he added.

BirdLife noted that current legislation was not in conformity with the common position negotiated with the EU.

Trapping of species other than those agreed by the Commission was still being allowed as was the trapping of finches and sea hunting in the pre-nuptial (spring) migration.

"We have a close season that is not only the shortest in Europe but also coincides with the time when only few birds are migrating," Mr Mangion said.

Protected birds of prey show up as soon as the hunting season opens on September 1 but hunters were blowing them out of the sky "in a systematic and organised manner".

As soon as raptor migration is over, other birds are migrating and again they are at risk since the sea shooting season opens on October 1.

Similarly, sea hunters target protected birds, shooting at anything within reach of their power boats.

It is illegal to shoot within three km from shore and boats should not exceed 18 knots per hour. However most hunters have engines exceeding 150 hp which can reach speeds of over 60 knots, BirdLife claimed.

"We ask, what chance do the migratory birds have of reaching their destination?"

In Gozo, illegal hunting goes unchecked, he claimed. The police are slow to check reports of abuse while illegal vertical nets and bird calls are common throughout the countryside, Mr Mangion said.

Trapping sites should have been registered but the government has not registered them properly because many are on public land.

He said that public land leased by the Lands Department for agricultural purposes was being rented out for hunting and trapping.

The left hand simply does not know what the right hand is doing. Although police officers were willing to stop the illegalities, there is no will from the politicians, Mr Mangion charged.

"If politicians claim that it is impossible to post a policeman with every hunter and that we cannot have a police state... well, this is because the government has legislated regulations that are impossible to enforce."

Malta's politicians should realise that while abuses could be taken for granted locally, they would create a stir in European circles.

"Until now BirdLife Malta has been prudent and reserved, but we are losing our patience and we will be challenging the government to show what it has done to improve this pathetic situation."