Hunters insist on their position despite Commission's letter

The hunter's federation (FKNK) appeared unperturbed by the European Commission's letter asking it to pull off the internet a "defamatory" video clip concerning an EU-sponsored conservation project, saying it had "finally succeeded in getting the Commission's attention".

The letter, received by the federation earlier this month, is about a video clip posted by the FKNK on the video sharing site YouTube and its website and in which Birdlife's EU-sponsored LIFE conservation project with the Yelkouan shearwater is called a "sham".

In his letter, the head of the LIFE Unit, Phillip Owen, says the claims made in the clip to support such an allegation were unsubstantiated and misleading and asks for the video to be removed.

However, the federation yesterday insisted on its position.

"It seems the FKNK has finally succeeded in getting the Commission's attention and make it take notice of what the FKNK has to say.

"It is a pity that the Commission appears to do so only because there is a perceived threat of BirdLife (Malta) being hit where it hurts most - funds and their potential withdrawal."

The clip, running Vivaldi's Spring concerto in the background - possibly meant to underscore that the clip was payback time for the closure of the spring hunting season this year - the video insinuates that the conservation project is in essence a scheme for Birdlife to milk money off the EU.

On this point, Mr Owen underlined the fact that the project was selected in a competitive procedure among proposals submitted from all EU member states and that it was being continually monitored by the Commission.

The federation is, however, accusing Birdlife of not responding to a series of questions it had made along with St Hubert's Hunters last May in connection with the project.

The questions included requests for information on, among other things, the scope of the rat control programme being implemented at Rdum il-Madonna, Mellieħa as part of the conservation efforts. Birdlife said this information was freely available on the project's website.

The federation also protested at the fact that BirdLife had applied to have the adjoining surface area added to the Special Conservation Area on the cliffs, which had been granted for the project.

The land above the cliffs has been managed as a hunting reserve by the FKNK since 1984, the federation said, adding that, at present, BirdLife had already "trespassed" onto part of the land that should form part of the Miżieb hunting reserve.

Here too, however, Birdlife responded, pointing out that the land which the FKNK claims was trespassed was actually designated as a bird sanctuary by the government.

As for the legal rights, which FKNK says it holds to use parts of Rdum tal-Madonna and land in Miżieb as a hunting reserve since 1984, Birdlife said the federation never came up with legal documentation to support their claim.

The federation said it would be replying to the Commission to clarify "certain areas of possible misunderstanding".