I refer to the editorial and an article by Birdlife (Malta) executive director Steve Micklewright (The Sunday Times of Malta, August 18) criticising the Government’s decision to change the timings of the “curfew” which, during the past five years, was imposed from 3pm onwards between September 15 and 30, but will now apply from 7pm onwards between September 15 and October 7.
Both articles contained allegations which are either untrue or unfair on individuals who are carrying their duties professionally.
For the first time in decades, a dedicated structure has been established to deal with sustainable hunting governance issues, in an efficient and professional manner. The new Wild Birds Regulation Unit has ensured the timely preparation and submission of critically important reports, a task that had been neglected for years, affecting Malta’s credibility within the EU.
For the first time ever, the full report of Malta’s 2013 spring hunting derogation has been made public. The Unit has also developed a proposal to establish a Wildlife Crime Investigation Unit within the Police Force.
The Unit consists of six employees seconded from the various sections of the Environment and Planning Directorates of Mepa and one employee, Joseph Lia, seconded from another ministry due to his knowledge and experience in hunting regulation matters. He has resigned from the FKNK’s council and there is no conflict of interest.
None of the employees of the Unit are political appointees, while the role of Albert Pace, mistakenly cited in the media as being an employee of the unit, is that of an adviser to the parliamentary secretary, employed within the private secretariat, not the unit.
The unit is headed by a seconded former manager of Mepa’s international projects team, Sergei Golovkin, who has vast experience in coordinating and managing an array of environmental programmes and nature conservation projects.
Other seconded employees include a manager of Mepa’s Avifauna Section, with over two decades’ experience in enforcement of bird-related crime, an environment protection officer who specialises in bird conservation issues and another senior officer who is a conservation biologist.
As to insinuations over the “illogicality” of the Government’s decision to modify the “curfew”, it is important to underline that the very concept of a blank “curfew” or ban on hunting, a legitimate activity throughout the EU, would be tantamount to collective punishment of a law-abiding hunting community. Such draconian measures have no place in modern law enforcement. It would, for instance, be absurd to ban all kitchen knives just because a kitchen knife can be used as a weapon.
The Government chose to focus on strengthening enforcement in the field to deter and prevent illegalities from happening in the first place, rather than prohibiting hunters from enjoying their pastime in the afternoons.
The Government has not removed the “curfew” completely, as lobbied by the hunting community, but its parameters have been modified to render the measure more fair and effective by boosting enforcement. For the first time the “curfew” has been extended to October 7, on the suggestion of Birdlife Malta.
Both articles sought to obfuscate the real situation by suggesting that since most legal hunting opportunities in autumn occur in the mornings, hunters would have no reason to be in the countryside in the afternoons. But to anyone familiar with hunting, the assertion that all hunting after 3pm during the second half of September is simply a “cover” for illegal shooting of migrating birds of prey is absurd. The Government believed that the criticism levelled at the “curfew” by hunters, namely that law abiding citizens were being penalised for the actions of a few poachers, required serious consideration. Resentment and alienation among the law-abiding hunting community weakened enforcement. The extension of the measure by seven additional days to October 7 addresses Birdlife Malta’s concerns that the passage of raptors continues well into the first week of October.
The applicability of the “curfew” from 7pm onwards has continued to protect roosting birds of prey, while the planned substantial strengthening of enforcement in the field during the entire period September 15 to October 7 will address another fundamental concern.
It is impossible to satisfy everyone but what The Sunday Times of Malta should be doing is acknowledging the fantastic work by independent experts to find a sensible and fair solution.
Editor’s note:
Though Ms Aguis conveniently fuses two separate articles, a thousand apologies on our part for failing to appreciate the peaceful utopia the Government has brought to our countryside. But may we have the temerity to ask one question to our benevolent master: “fair and sensible” solution for who, exactly? Perhaps she is referring to the law-abiding citizens, and tourists, who are sick and tired of being startled by gunshot either at dawn or as they try to enjoy a walk in the rural parts of Malta. Then again, perhaps not.