Three-week season proposed

The government’s hunting consultative body has recommended a three-week spring hunting season at the end of April for all hunters during which 9,000 turtledoves and 3,000 quails may be shot.

The proposal signals a major change from the six-day spring hunting season that was allowed last year and which was limited to only 2,500 hunters from a hunting fraternity of more than 10,000.

For hunting federation secretary Lino Farrugia, last year’s limit was discriminatory and the opening of a spring hunting season for all hunters is somewhat of a victory.

It is now up to the government to issue the legal notice outlining the parameters for this year’s spring season, which may or may not take into consideration the suggestions of the Ornis Committee.

“We have to wait and see what the government’s decision for this year will be,” Mr Farrugia said, insisting that although hunters formed part of the Ornis Committee they did not agree with everything that was decided.

The Ornis Committee meeting on Tuesday came 24 hours after the government announced new framework legislation that would allow spring hunting to take place in a way that was acceptable to the European Commission.

The new regulations stipulate that spring hunting will be allowed for a maximum of 5,000 quails and 11,000 turtledoves or one per cent of the annual mortality rate for each species, whichever is lower.

However, the maximum quota can only be reached if hunters shoot less than 10,000 birds of each species in autumn. Every bird killed in autumn above the 10,000 mark will contribute to a reduction in the maximum limit for spring. If more than 20,000 quails and 21,000 turtledoves are shot in autumn no spring hunting will be allowed.

For hunters this is a bittersweet victory. “Hunters have won the principle that spring hunting is possible, contrary to what many used to argue, but there are things on which we do not agree with the government,” Mr Farrugia said.

The biggest disagreement hunters have is on the spring hunting quotas established in the framework legislation.

According to Mr Farrugia, one per cent of the mortality rate is equivalent to a tenfold increase in the maximum figure set by the government, casting doubts on the scientific validity of the bird quotas.

“The federation had produced detailed scientific studies by foreign experts, who used BirdLife data to establish the bag quotas for turtledoves and quails. Nobody had contested our figures and so far the government has failed to explain how it arrived at its numbers,” he said.

The Ornis Committee last year proposed that hunters be allowed to shoot 22,298 turtledoves and 10,837 quails in spring. This had been deemed to be “workable” by hunters even if they did not agree with it but the proposal was not adopted.

Mr Farrugia pointed out that the European Court of Justice had ruled in 2009 that the shooting of 5,000 quails in autumn was “an inconsiderable number” and not a satisfactory alternative to spring. “The satisfactory alternative now being proposed by government is 5,000 quails in spring. It makes no sense,” he insisted.

Mr Farrugia also criticised the fact that the framework legislation made no reference to trappers, something the federation wanted rectified.

Another bone of contention is government’s decision for spring hunting not to be allowed on Sundays and public holidays.

“Given the nature of migration this proposal does not make sense and it is unfair on those who cannot hunt throughout the week,” Mr Farrugia said.

He also criticised the €50 special licence hunters have to pay to hunt in spring.

“We are not against some form of special licence even though this is over and above the €150 hunters already pay in licence fees and insurance cover but the government should at least have a refund mechanism if the season is closed before the deadline because the quota would have been reached,” Mr Farrugia said.

Government has trumpeted the framework legislation as a historic agreement with the EU and lost no time in sending hunters colourful leaflets outlining the details. It seems the government wants the seven-year-long debate on spring hunting closed once and for all now that Brussels has welcomed the framework legislation.

Hunters are still expected to contest key aspects of the legislation including the bird quotas but they are unsure on how to proceed at this stage.

“The framework legislation is a first step in the right direction and we still have to determine the best way forward. The federation still has to meet and we will also discuss matters with the European hunting federation,” Mr Farrugia said.

The framework legislation was heavily criticised by BirdLife Malta, which disagreed with the fact that all hunters would be allowed to hunt in spring even if the bag quotas were limited. The organisation went so far as to boycott Tuesday’s Ornis meeting, accusing the government of using the committee as a smokescreen.

The government yesterday said BirdLife’s boycott was “regrettable” and insisted the framework legislation was accompanied by a commitment for “a robust monitoring and enforcement system”.

Enforcement will play an important role and the Commission has warned that it expects strict data collection by the government so that spring hunting could be justified on a yearly basis.

The onus now lies with hunters, who are entrusted to report on the number of birds shot by recording the figures in an official document (carnet de chasse) and sending an SMS for every bird killed.

“I urge hunters to report their catches faithfully and to observe the law because it is in their interest to do so,” Mr Farrugia said.