The government is denying putting pressure on the Ornis committee to recommend the reintroduction of finch trapping in autumn, in breach of EU rules.
“These allegations are false, and are themselves designed to put the Ornis committee under intense pressure and derail its work,” the government said.
Reacting to an article in yesterday’s Times of Malta, titled ‘Finch trapping may be back this autumn’, the government insisted that Ornis was regulated by its own procedure and sets its own agenda.
Trapping is considered illegal by Brussels and there is already a pending EU infringement over the issue. Sources told this newspaper that “the committee is under intense pressure and is actively considering this option even if it may put Malta in a direct clash with Brussels”.
But the government waved off these remarks and said Ornis was an autonomous body established under the Conservation of Wild Birds Regulations to fulfil a set of functions.
These included making recommendations to government on the application of derogations through procedure established in the law, so in considering any proposal for a derogation the committee was exercising its statutory responsibilities.
These allegations are false... and designed to derail committee’s work
When Times of Malta confronted the government a spokesman did not deny plans that finch trapping may be back in autumn, but said it would consider what the committee recommended.
The spokesman added that a proposal to permit live capturing of seven finches was submitted by the hunters’ federation, FKNK, last year and an assessment by the Wild Birds Regulation Unit would now be discussed by Ornis in due course.
Reacting to the article, Ornis committee chairman Mark Anthony Falzon said: “It is entirely legitimate and proper that finch trapping should be discussed by the Ornis committee now.”
Prof. Falzon said that at its sitting last August, Ornis had asked the unit to carry out an assessment on FKNK’s proposal – both FKNK and Birdlife Malta were free to make proposals – and agreed to discuss the assessment once it was completed.
“That is now the case and it is the duty of Ornis to discuss it. Not to do so would be a serious breach of correct procedure,” he said.
“Second, there is no ‘intense pressure’ on Ornis, from any direction. The chair is committed to a fair and level-headed discussion; in the event of a vote, members will be as free as always to vote as they deem proper.”
The government added that it was clear that the “unnamed sources” quoted by Times of Malta opposed the very notion of Ornis even considering such a proposal.