Call for self-regulation by hunters

The future of hunting depends on the hunters themselves, Environment Minister George Pullicino said yesterday.

Before the government engages in talks about the subject, it needs to have effective proposals from hunters' organisations stating how they intend to self-regulate.

Mr Pullicino was speaking after meeting a delegation from the Federation for Hunting and Conservation. Asked by The Times about the outcome of the meeting, Mr Pullicino said various points were raised, including the abrupt closure of the spring hunting season for quail and turtle dove following police reports that a large number of protected birds of prey were gunned down yesterday week.

The minister said he insisted that the hunters' federation had to come up with concrete proposals aimed at self-regulation and there could be no talks about hunting before this was done. "The future of hunting is in their hands. All depends on how successful they are in bringing about discipline," he said.

Actions by hunters showed the government was right in imposing tougher penalties for illegal hunting because there were some who were still intent on breaking the law. "Hunters had called the heftier penalties anti-social, yet even these do not seem to be enough of a deterrent," he said. "The best form of enforcement has to follow from self-regulation. If hunters are unable to do this, I have little hope we can unblock this situation," the minister said.

Mr Pullicino said he was pleased to note that even the hunters' federation was inclined to agree about self-regulation. That is why he had asked its committee members for concrete proposals so that those who continue to abuse would no longer be able to hunt.