Longer season possible next year

The government is planning to allow a spring hunting season of three weeks next year during which hunters would be able to shoot 22,000 birds in contrast with this year's week-long term and 7,500-bird limit.

"Our aim is that, in agreement with the European Commission, next year we would be able to open the season for three weeks and hunters will be able to shoot 22,000 quails and turtle doves," Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday.

Dr Gonzi is heading a trade delegation on a visit to the Gulf states.

He said there was "no room for change" on the decision taken for this year's spring hunting season, which was criticised by both hunters and BirdLife Malta. "There may be operative details I would be prepared to refine, obviously, but the general principles of the decisions announced are what they are," he said.

Spring hunting can be held between April 24 and 30 until noon and excluding Sunday. Hunters will have to apply for 2,500 special licences and only 3,900 quails and 3,600 turtle doves can be shot. When that tally is reached, the season ends.

Hunters criticised the "obscene" proposals, claiming discrimination against the rest of the 10,000 or so hunters who usually hunt in this season and who will not be able to do so this April.

They also gave the Prime Minister until Wednesday to change his position. But Dr Gonzi poured cold water on the prospect of changing the rules for this year.

Although the Prime Minister did not spell it out, it appears that the government is looking at this year as a test on which to argue its case better with the Commission in the coming months.

"I hope there will be a sense of responsibility because, if the rules are broken and there is abuse, then the whole argument on which we based our case so far will collapse. I am convinced that there are serious hunters who understand the government's position and who will do their best to encourage us to keep moving ahead in this area in full respect of everyone's position and the law," he said.

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, a proposal deemed "workable" by hunters.

The proposals were meant to provide a framework for the government to apply another derogation from EU laws in an attempt to keep a spring hunting season.

The European Court of Justice had ruled against Malta but conceded that the autumn season, in principle, did not really offer an alternative to spring, which the government interpreted as an opportunity to explore a "very limited hunting, under strict controls".

BirdLife has insisted all along that none of the proposals made by the hunters, Ornis and the government, including the latest one, are in line with EU rules and will land Malta in court, this time facing potentially hefty fines.

The Prime Minister did not rule out anything yesterday but reiterated that the government "believes that what we have decided and what we are proposing for next year is in line with the Birds Directive and in line with the judgment of the European Court of Justice on the subject".

He complained about the ambiguous nature of certain parts of the EJC ruling saying that "unfortunately, there are parts of the judgment that have to be interpreted well. I hope that our interpretation will be accepted by the Commission so that we would avoid further complications".