BirdLife Malta and Cabs have welcomed the news that the government is considering the adoption of tough regulations through which hunters convicted of illegalities would face a lifelong ban.

In a statement, the two organisations said that, if adopted, these regulations would be a serious improvement over the existing legislation which set a minimum fine of €233 for first time offenders and €466 for repeat offenders. The maximum fines of several thousands applied in both cases.

BirdLife and Cabs said recent cases highlighted the problems with the current legislation.

Giving examples, they said that last Wednesday, a person previously apprehended by the ALE for possession of 10 dead protected birds received a fine of €2,000.

The day before, a fine of €500 was imposed on a person for the illegal possession of 70 dead protected birds, including vultures, eagles, kites and other rare birds protected under international law.

In both cases the fines were issued within the parameters of the law. This showed that the law was too ambiguous and allowed for large differences in sentences.

The two organisations said that many fines issued were mere slaps on the wrist. Hunters and trappers convicted of illegalities were often back out in the field a short while later; such as two brothers reported seven times over the past 24 months by BirdLife Malta and Cabs, for illegal trapping of protected species in Zurrieq.

They argued that the law needed to set out more severe minimum sentences for all hunting and trapping offences.

Furthermore, hunting licenses had to be permanently revoked for all serious hunting and trapping contraventions.