We were in Malta in time for the result of the referendum on spring hunting and while I can see both sides of this debate, my daughter aged 23 is horrified. She loves our pictures of your beautiful islands but says she would never go there because of the killing of rare birds.

With such a small majority in favour of spring hunting, wouldn’t a compromise be the best idea – such as smaller quotas or a reduced season? Turtle doves are now incredibly rare in the UK and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is one of our biggest charities, with over a million members.

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