Minister hid behind Ornis decision, hunters charge

The hunters' federation claimed yesterday that its representatives at the last Ornis committee meeting soon realised that the rest of the committee members had already made their decision on the subject at hand.

The committee eventually recommended a ban on the trapping of songbirds and hunting at sea, but not before the hunters' representatives had walked out of the meeting.

All the other members needed was a rubberstamp so that the minister would be able to "hide behind" the decision, the federation said.

In spite of the fact that the meeting was a staged affair, the federation representatives still made sure their views would be recorded in the minutes, federation secretary Lino Farrugia said.

Before walking out they noted that if the committee were to decide against the opening of the seasons, it would mean the government had lied before the last general election and the EU referendum.

The hunters' federation accused the Environment Minister of "weakness" and "deceit" after he sanctioned the Ornis committee's recommendation to ban trapping of finches and hunting at sea in spring.

The fact that the minister gave his nod to the ban came as no surprise to the federation, Mr Farrugia said.

Referring to the comments made by the Prime Minister following the incidents that occurred in last Wednesday's protest in Valletta, when journalists and photographers were injured and cameras damaged by demonstrators, the federation said the government had to explain why it had deceived certain hunters and trappers prior to the last general election and the EU referendum.

Last Thursday, Dr Gonzi publicly deplored the incidents and said that hunters should know the government would not shift one iota from its present position on hunting.

He said threats did not impress his government, which would respect the decisions taken in the referendum, "no more, no less".

The government, he said, was obliged to respect the package negotiated with the EU before the referendum in 2003, but was not prepared to go further.

In a separate statement issued yesterday, the federation said it wanted to thank hunters and trappers for following its directive to use their ballot as a protest vote on Saturday.