Government still studying ECJ ruling

The government was studying the European Court of Justice's ruling on spring hunting and would act in strict conformity with it, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi told hunters during a meeting at Castille last week.

The meeting was held with the Għaqda Kaċċaturi San Umbertu (St Hubert Hunters' Association) as a follow-up to another meeting the group had with Dr Gonzi four months ago.

The ECJ ruled against Malta's decision to allow spring hunting between 2004 and 2007 but the judgment was hailed as a landmark by both the pro and anti-hunting lobby groups.

It established the principle that autumn hunting for quail and turtle dove was not a "satisfactory alternative" to spring hunting and this has opened up the possibility that the government will apply for a spring hunting derogation under the Birds' Directive.

In its reaction to the ECJ ruling, the government did not commit itself to a solution but simply said it was examining the judgment to determine what options it had available to open the spring hunting season in a "limited and strict" way.

A solution may lie in the form of a closely monitored quota, establishing the maximum number of quails and turtle doves that could be shot in spring. This suggestion has, however, been shot down by BirdLife Malta, which said the government was only trying to give hunters "false hope".

It said the ECJ ruling referred to the number of birds that were reported killed by hunters and found these were excessive although the figures were "gravely underestimated".

When contacted, Mark Mifsud Bonnici, from the Għaqda Kaċċaturi San Umbertu, said Dr Gonzi told them the government was studying the possibly of exercising the derogation.

He said the association put forward a number of proposals on how the season could be opened in spring within the parameters of the Birds' Directive. It also made its recommendations on how enforcement could be boosted.

Mr Mifsud Bonnici said the ECJ did not exclude the possibility of hunting in spring. On the contrary, the Birds' Directive allowed spring hunting but under specific and controlled conditions.

"This is what the ECJ ruled against Malta. It did not find Malta guilty of opening the spring hunting season but that it opened the season outside these conditions. It said the season in Malta was too long," he said.