According to Steve Micklewright, “The Ornis Committee is supposed to be politically independent and make impartial and evidence-based recommendations to the government but it’s clear that this function has been compromised by the government’s appointment of three committee members who unanimously and without fail cast their votes based on what is politically expedient”.

Ever since Malta joined the EU, Ornis has served as an advisory body to the government on hunting matters. It is far from perfect but accusing its committee members of political favouritism simply because they agree to applying a legal derogation, which BirdLife opposes, is downright slanderous.

Also it goes to prove that whoever opposes BirdLife’s demands is either accused of being a puppet, a liar, as in the case of hunters and their “misreporting and inaccuracy of the data”, or of being held at ransom by hunters’ votes.

Supposedly, what goes on in government-appointed boards and committees is confidential and all appointed members are bound not to divulge information.

However, BirdLife have endlessly disregarded this obligation and now, apart from announcing that the season for spring hunting will be opened even before any official announcement was made, they also inform the public who has voted in favour.

Apart from BirdLife’s customary tirade and slanderous accusation directed at Ornis members, we are informed of a “step further”, namely raising their concerns with the European Commission and writing to the Prime Minister, who, incidentally, is accused of appointing Ornis members who are “politically expedient”.

BirdLife’s concerns have been made known to the European Commission each year in their annual reports, so this is no novelty. May I suggest they allow their vice president, Saviour Balzan, the EU accession government adviser on derogation, to sign their letters. Certainly the credibility of their contents could have no better endorsement.