BirdLife Malta has released minutes of an Ornis committee meeting, held in February 2009, showing that the hunters’ federation – FKNK agreed to an autumn hunting ban after 3 p.m. between September 15 and 30.

The conservation organisation said the FKNK had proposed the ban on condition that the government opened the spring hunting season, which it did between April 24 and 30.

BirdLife conservation manager Andrè Raine said: “The minutes unequivocally show that the FKNK thought the ban was a good idea when they were lobbying for a spring hunting season. Now, however, they are denying this fact, possibly because they do not want their members to know they actually agreed to the afternoon ban.”

FKNK secretary-general Lino Farrugia refuted the claim. “The proposal was made in 2009 and the condition on which we said we would consider an afternoon ban this September was for a month-long spring hunting season to be opened between April 15 and May 15. This was not met...” he said.

BirdLife and FKNK are arguing over whether hunting should take place in the afternoon, after the government last Friday announced a hunting season between September 1 and January 31 banning hunting after 3 p.m. between September 15 and 30.

FKNK complained the government had bowed to unjust demands by BirdLife. However, the conservation group argued that migratory birds of prey, in particularly raptors, which arrived in the afternoon during the two-week period to rest in Malta while on their way to Africa for winter, would be vulnerable to poaching.

On the other hand, FKNK is claiming the ban is discriminatory to “bona fide hunters” who cannot hunt in the morning due to work or other commitments. It insists the birds will not be any more vulnerable than during the morning or at night.

Dr Raine said: “If the FKNK was so concerned about law-abiding hunters, it would protect their interests by ensuring those who break the law have their membership withdrawn.”