Government's promises on hunting

In his reply to my talking point Hunting The Hunters (October 6), the media spokesman of the Minister for Rural Affairs and the Environment wrote at length on the "irresponsible minority" of hunters who "are causing so much damage to the future of hunting and trapping in Malta".

He was long on verbosity and short in substance. I denounced these irresponsible elements in clear terms in my Talking Point. He would have been better advised to explain how the powers-that-be have been unable or unwilling to enforce the law and make sure that this minority observes the rules.

He evaded the real point at issue, namely that the proposed new hunting and trapping regulations, announced by his minister, threw overboard past government assurances. The Federation of Hunters, Trappers and Conservationists (FKNK) called it an outright betrayal. They know what they had been promised. Now they know they have been let down.

No amount of quibbling and convoluted argumentation will conceal the facts of the matter. The government had given assurances to the federation and replied to a number of my parliamentary questions, that hunting and trapping would not be touched in any way after accession, and that the government was committed to stand by the terms drawn up at the time it negotiated and agreed to join the European Union.

Malta's national dignity is involved. The government is expected to stand up and demand that the EU respect the framework which has been in place since accession, rather than cave in to any form of pressure originating in the main from EU lobbies.

The point at issue is crystal clear. The government made very solemn promises on the matter and these are being thrown overboard under the cover of a smokescreen - which consists of evasive irrelevances.