Government ill-advised on trapping - FKNK

The government's consultant on bird trapping matters must have a personal anti-trapping agenda, the Hunters' Federation said.

It said in a statement this evening the government was advised to refrain from opening this autumn's trapping season for turtle dove, quail and golden plover in an arbitrary manner and with no scientific basis or justification.

The FKNK said it would be future to ask the government to reveal the identity of its "advisor", however, it would be in its full right to ask the government to get genuine advice, also through the numerous reports, scientific studies and other documentation, given by the FKNK on behalf of its thousands of trapper-members.

These were always the only ones on the receiving end of incorrect application of derogations and subsequent government decisions. The same trappers who can only see this government's decision not to open the trapping season this year for the first year since time immemorial as a capricious excuse, it said.

The FKNK said the government also tried insinuating that the reason for not opening this season was due to the legal proceedings initiated by the Commission against Malta last June for the incorrect application of derogations to permit this practice each year throughout the seven consecutive years since Malta's EU membership.

The Commission's early warning (since 2009) and offer of assistance for the application of correct derogations had now been clearly explained in the EU Environment Commissioner's reply to a European Parliament question raised by Maltese MEP John Attard Montalto.

The federation thanked Dr Attard Montalto for his continuous assistance in hunting and trapping matters.

The FKNK referred to a report in today's The Times which stated that Brussels had been warning Malta over the continuation of trapping of birds with nets – considered to be against the Birds Directive - for at least two years before taking formal legal action.

The report, the FKNK said, was at times incorrect, at others a twisted interpretation of the Commissioner's reply to Dr Attard Montalto's question, which reply was a 'copy-paste' from a letter the same Commissioner sent to the FKNK on September 25.

The reply confirmed that other countries applied derogations to permit trapping and the Commissioner did not refer to any legal action that the Commission was planning to institute against a number of member states over trapping, but that such action would be taken against countries that applied derogations incorrectly.

The federation said it was not true that according to EU rules, trapping had to be completely outlawed in Malta by the end of 2008.

"The facts are that live-finch trapping had to be suspended by the end of 2008 pending studies which had to be undertaken by the Malta Ornis Committee which would determine how many finches could eventually be caught from the wild to sustain genetic-diversity in captive kept finches.

"Nothing was negotiated or agreed upon with reference to birds that could also be legally shot and killed, as in the case of the scenario at present."

It was also not true that, in 2008, the government decided to apply a derogation allowing the trapping of four bird species (turtle dove, quail, golden plover and song thrush).

"The government had in fact applied such derogation every autumn since Malta's EU membership in 2004 and ever since up to 2010.

"The problem was that on the seven consecutive occasions the derogation was applied in an incorrect manner."

In all, 11 derogations regarding hunting and trapping were applied incorrectly.

The FKNK promised its continuous commitment to its trapper-members, and said every effort would be made for live-bird capturing, not just for species that may also be legally shot and killed, but also for finch, would be reestablished on a solid and legal foundation within the boundaries of sustainability, wise use of renewable natural resources and within the parameters and in full respect of EU nature directives.