Updated 4.24pm - Added Agriculture secretariat statement

An undercover operation conducted at the Sunday monti in Floriana and pet shops has uncovered “a racket” in the sale of birds used by trappers, Birdlife Malta said.

The operation carried out by the bird conservation group highlighted multiple abuses that were made worse when the government opened the trapping season for finches in 2014.

Birdlife conservation manager Nick Barbara said trapped finches did not live long in captivity and every season trappers would have to replenish their stock by buying birds that were at times imported illegally.

The group held a press conference outside the law courts this morning as pressure mounts ahead of tomorrow’s hearing in front of the European Court of Justice that is expected to deal with Malta’s controversial decision to open a finch trapping season in 2014 and subsequent years.

Birdlife president Darryl Grima said the government decision to allow finch trapping was taken against the Attorney General’s advice.

Quoting from a report that appeared last Sunday in MaltaToday, Mr Grima said the AG had warned finch trapping was in breach of EU directives and could not be defended successfully.

Photo: Kurt SansonePhoto: Kurt Sansone

The European Commission took Malta to court, arguing the exception to allow finch trapping was not justifiable. Both parties will make their case tomorrow and a decision could be expected by the end of this year.

Birdlife CEO Mark Sultana said all finches that could be trapped under Maltese law were protected birds. The trapping technique used in Malta, he added, was also specifically outlawed by EU directives since it captured birds indiscriminately.

Mr Sultana said an aerial survey conducted by Birdlife of 80 trapping sites in the countryside found that approximately 50 of them were illegal.

Government denies ignoring AG advice

In a statement, the parliamentary secretariat for agriculture and animal rights categorically denied that it had ignored the Attorney General's advice, saying BirdLife Malta's claims were "pure speculation" and "a last-ditch attempt at influencing proceedings in the European Court of Justice". 

"The Attorney General's Office has never advised the government that the case is 'legally indefensible', let alone that it 'will be thrown out of the Court'," the secretariat said in a statement which added that the Attorney General's advice to the government was "confidential and protected by legal and professional privilege". 

It also refuted all other claims made by BirdLife Malta during this morning's press conference, saying they have all been fully rebutted in the past.  

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