Hunters deem brief season obscene

Just a quarter of hunters would be allowed to hunt in the last week of April for a limited amount of quail and turtle dove under legal provisions issued yesterday by the government.

The regulations were immediately shot down by the hunters' federation, FKNK, which described them as "obscene" and "ridiculous".

Under the regulations, spring hunting can be held between April 24 and April 30 until noon and excluding Sunday. Hunters will have to apply for 2,500 special licences and only 3,900 quail and 3,600 turtle doves can be shot in the season.

The government said that in the eventuality that more than 2,500 hunters applied, the names would be drawn by lot. There are about 10,000 registered hunters.

The decision comes more than a month after the government's consultative body on hunting, the Ornis Committee, proposed a hunting season between April 10 and April 30 with bag limits of 10,837 quail and 22,298 turtle dove.

FKNK secretary Lino Farrugia said the government wanted "to take people for a ride", describing the decision to limit the special licences to 2,500 as discriminatory.

The federation called on members not to apply for the licences and gave the government until Thursday to change the regulations and bring them in line with what Ornis had suggested.

Mr Farrugia warned the issue was not over. However, street protests were being ruled out for the moment because of rising tension among hunters.

"The federation is seeking legal advice to determine the best way to protect the civil rights of hunters, which the government has ignored even though there is a European Court of Justice ruling that says autumn is not a satisfactory alternative to spring," he said, accusing the Prime Minister of reneging on his pre-electoral promise that hunters would not lose out on their hobby.

Accusing Lawrence Gonzi of caving in to BirdLife Malta's demands, Mr Farrugia said he "might as well pass on the reins of power to BirdLife".

FKNK public relations officer Joe Perici Calascione used equally harsh words to describe the decision.

"It was sadistic for Lawrence Gonzi to allow the decision to drag on and finally come up with an unacceptable season that does not do justice with the ECJ ruling," Mr Perici Calascione said, insisting the federation would instruct its members not to hunt because it did not want to set a precedent that could be used against them in future.

"We want a proper season. Our proposals were drawn up scientifically using the methodology spelt out by the ECJ and they would not have landed the country in trouble with the European Commission," he said. The delay to open the hunting season caused hunters a lot of "hurt and psychological torment", Mr Perici Calascione added.

The FKNK had originally suggested a spring hunting season between April 1 and May 10 and hunters had to choose 30 days within the period. They had also proposed bag limits that were much higher than those accepted by Ornis.

The Ornis proposals were unacceptable, Mr Perici Calascione said, but they were "workable".

In a statement, the government said it had talks with European Commission officials but no agreement was reached on the definition of limited hunting.

Special licences would cost €25 with funds aimed at financing law enforcement. Applications for the licences would be made at post offices between Monday and Thursday.

Licence holders would have a quota of two birds per day and a maximum of three birds per licence. The licence holders would have to wear a special identification armband. They would also have to report every bird caught through SMS.

All those breaking the law would lose their special licence and general hunting licence and face the penalties. The season will be closed once the limit was reached.

Hunting marshals will be recruited on a voluntary basis to help the police enforce the law.

The Labour Party accused Dr Gonzi of not keeping his word with hunters. It said he was trying to appease hunters and environmentalists but instead only showed the government's "hypocrisy and mediocrity".

"The government's decision risks undermining its own case before the Commission," the party said.