Malta: A Birdless Island documentary screened in Brussels

A 35-minute documentary entitled Malta: A Birdless Island was screened at the European Parliament building in Brussels yesterday.

The documentary was followed by an intense discussion about hunting in Malta with many Maltese present for the screening challenging the comments made in the documentary.

Following the meeting, organised on behalf of the Greens in the European Parliament, posters announcing the activity displayed in the lifts leading to the screening-room were removed by unknown persons. One of the promoters of the event said the master copy of the DVD used in the screening was removed from the DVD player and could not be traced.

The documentary was shot in Malta between April 17 and May 5 this year by a media company called Malta Media, consisting of a number of university students, with help of Dutch TV producers.

The production was totally financed by Bird Protection Belgium, the leading NGO lobbying the European Commission to lift the current hunting derogation given to the Maltese government prior to Malta's accession to the EU.

The documentary illustrates the existent situation of hunting in Malta, showing hunters and trappers in action in the first open spring hunting season following Malta's EU membership. Footage shows pictures of hunters shooting at protected species, trapped birds being sold in the open at the Valletta market and people making obscene signs to the cameraman on noticing they were being filmed. In one instance, a man is shown pulling down his pants.

A spokesman for the Bird Protection Belgium, Lolita Szabo, told The Times the documentary's intention is to show people who matter in the EU that hunting in Malta is being practised illegally and with no respect to the rules agreed between Malta and the EU prior to accession.

"We filmed this documentary last spring during the same period of time when a Commission technical delegation visited Malta in order to see if the derogation obtained by the island was being respected. We now have evidence on tape that hunters are still doing what they like, shooting at anything that flies. This has to stop and we are adamant that the derogation allowing spring hunting and trapping should be lifted by the EU immediately. This documentary will help us illustrate concretely what we are saying," the spokesman added.

The Belgian organisation has already met Environment Commissioner Stravos Dimas over the issue and an answer to their request should be forthcoming in the coming weeks.

At the same time, a petition is being circulated around Europe and will be presented to the EU in September. The petition, already signed by tens of thousands of people, according to organisers, calls on the EU "to withdraw the derogation allowing spring hunting and trapping of finches in the wild in Malta and for the urgent improvement of enforcement of the EU Birds Directive..."

The documentary screening was followed by a debate, at times controversial, between a number of Maltese present for the screening and the organisers.

Nicky Spiteri Paris, assistant to Nationalist MEP David Casa, said that it is not fair that Malta is given such a bad picture because of a small number of "cowboy" hunters. He said that during the past years more discipline and enforcement had been introduced and things are improving.

Elaine Cordina, an assistant to MEP Simon Busuttil, contradicted the claim that the derogation is illegal and said that this was negotiated prior to Malta's accession and all the other member states agreed to it.

A claim by Hugues Fanal, director of Protection des Oiseaux, that "Maltese hunters are not only shooting birds but even tourists" was meet by strong objections from all the Maltese present with some of them even leaving the room as a sign of disapproval.

Arnold Cassola, secretary general of the European Greens, said that unfortunately the derogation given is being used as an excuse by hunters to shoot at anything, not only at quails and turtle-doves as stipulated by the Commission. He said that now that evidence shows that the law is being flagrantly broken, the EU should take immediate action to stop spring hunting.

The documentary, produced originally in Flemish but with English subtitles, also includes interviews with Harry Vassallo, chairman of Alternattiva Demokratika, Joe Sultana, chairman of the Ornis Committee, Charles Gauci, responsible for the Ghadira Natural Reserve, Police Inspector Alexander Miruzzi and "George", a Maltese "bird watcher".