Hunting historical firsts

The spring-hunting "season", which started on April 24 and ended on April 30, made history in many ways.

It was the first spring season held after the September 2009 ruling of the European Court of Justice.

It was the first one that consisted of just six mornings; the first in which Sunday hunting was banned; the first that was open to a fraction of all the hunters; the first in which a bag limit was set for each hunter; and the first in which a national bag limit was established.

It was also the first spring season when the trapping of the turtle dove and the quail was not permitted.

It was the first to prove in practice that the so-called special arrangement (one of 77) allegedly made by the government in EU pre-accession negotiations had been in reality no special arrangement at all. It was the first to prove in practice that promises made in writing by former Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami were not worth the paper they were written on.

It was the first to prove beyond any doubt that, as far as the determining votes of the hunting community were concerned, the accession of Malta to the EU was based on pure deceit.

It was the first to prove that it had suited the EU to keep silent then, although it knew of this deceit all along.

The spring-hunting derogated period declared open by the government by means of Legal Notice 221 of 2010 was the first to prove the "spring-hunting-is-illegal" falsehood repeated over these last years by the fanatical leadership of BirdLife Malta, clearly showing that all that had been stated was, in fact, a bunch of lies.

The April 2010 pseudo-hunting season was also the first that was boycotted by the hunting associations themselves with resounding success.

It was the first time that the hunters and trappers were absolutely unanimous in their condemnation of the obscene injustice imposed upon them by an intransigent EU Commission and an intimidated Maltese government.

Let there be no doubt that until these institutions come up with a real, tangible "satisfactory alternative" solution in terms of the ECJ judgment, the spring-hunting issue will never be solved. The hunters and trappers demand justice and they are determined to have it.