Hunting: Losing the argument (1)

Michael Falzon (Cut And Paste Campaign Against Malta, April 11) takes the usual tack of those like him who have lost the argument against spring hunting. Instead of offering justification for his pro-hunting stance, he points fingers at the equally bad behaviour of our European neighbours. He claims to be a neutral observer on this issue as he is "not a hunter or trapper". George Pullicino said exactly the same thing recently. They are not fooling the average five-year old with this sort of comment.

If he has ever lived in any of the countries he has mentioned, he would understand the crucial difference between Malta and the rest of Europe. The thousands of acres of countryside available for non-hunting recreational use in the UK, Greece, Spain and Italy allows hunters to pursue their "hobby" without infringing on the rights of others to enjoy the natural environment also. Furthermore, huge swathes of land, where hunting is not allowed, provide refuge and sanctuary for breeding and migrating birds. It always amazes me how even the key architects of Malta's slide towards coast-to-coast concretification appear blind to our unique local circumstances.

Mr Falzon comments about vicious eco-fundamentalists damaging our tourism prospects are revealing of a man who has totally lost the plot. He would do well to look more closely at his own performance in government before laying the blame on others for the destruction of Malta's prospects for long-term sustainable tourism.

Maybe he would like to continue his research into international avi-fauna issues and then reply to the following question: Why, in his opinion, does the Maltese (Peregrine) Falcon live and breed in every country in the world except Malta? He will find the answer depressingly simple: Hunting is not sustainable in Malta and no amount of law-breaking Spaniards, Italians, or French, (or lost PN votes), will change this fact.