Senior officials of the hunters’ federation FKNK have confirmed they are close to signing a “memorandum of understanding” endorsing the Labour Party.
The as yet unconfirmed memo would concern hunting issues not regulated by the EU, such as the removal of a €50 spring hunting licence fee and the cancelling of a 3pm September hunting curfew.
FKNK council members are set to meet on Monday evening. If a decision was made to sign a memorandum, it would be made public immediately, sources said.
“We’ve never hidden the fact that we meet and discuss our concerns with both major parties,” the officials said. “We’ve been very quiet throughout this campaign but that can all change. It depends on what the political parties do over the coming days.”
Birdlife Malta officials had hinted at an agreement between the FKNK and Labour earlier yesterday, saying that lifting licence fees or afternoon curfews would be tantamount to facilitating wildlife crimes.
“We know that at least seven Labour candidates have met privately with hunters during this campaign,” Birdlife director Steve Micklewright said, “and the language used by Labour mirrors that of the FKNK.”
A PL spokesman did not reply to an e-mail asking for the party to confirm or deny the talk of an agreement with hunters.
Mr Micklewright was speaking outside the law courts where Birdlife members unfurled two large banners in protest at the lack of political will to drive down wildlife crime.
The organisation has written to both Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Labour leader Joseph Muscat urging them to strengthen the enforcement and prosecution of wildlife crimes.
They argue that of the few wildlife crimes reported to the police, even fewer end up in court, with convictions few and far between.
Birdlife said volunteers recovered 101 protected birds that had been shot last year. According to conservation officer Christian Debono, more than half last year’s 220 incidents of shooting at protected birds occurred during the open hunting season.
“They take advantage of the open season to shoot at whatever they want,” he said. The 3pm curfew, he added, existed to protect birds of prey, which could not be shot by law.
One FKNK official dismissed the claim outright. “Hunting is an age-old hobby practised all over the world but we’ve been demonised by this sort of claim. If a hunter has never had any run-in with the law, why should he be deprived of his hobby outright?”
Hunting has risen in profile over the past week of the electoral campaign. Both parties have said they favoured “sustainable” hunting within the parameters set by the European Court of Justice.
But while Dr Gonzi last Tuesday said he would favour a referendum on spring hunting, Dr Muscat opposed the idea and told Birdlife Labour would abolish the €50 spring hunting licence fee if elected.
Mr Micklewright said Dr Muscat had “listened carefully but was non-committal” when meeting with Birdlife.
He said the organisation was not interested in endorsing any party “but voters have the power to make politicians aware that it is something that matters to them”.