I have just been watching an episode of Crimewatch Roadshow on BBC1 and was surprised to hear Malta being mentioned. Unfortunately, it was being mentioned for all the wrong reasons.
It appears that wild birds are being trapped here, in the UK. The main ones that the trappers are going for are goldfinches, greenfinches, hawfinches, bullfinches, etc. And why are birds suddenly being trapped in the UK in this way? For sale to buyers in Malta who are willing to pay between £50 and £100 per bird!
So not only are trappers in Malta decimating the Maltese bird population, with, of course, the full support of the Maltese government, but they are now moving further afield and importing British birds trapped and stolen from the wild.
Well done Joseph Muscat. I hope the few votes the Prime Minister and his party got were worth it.