The hunters’ federation yesterday took a shot at Birdlife Malta for reporting Malta to the European Commission over the Government’s failure to provide it with vital information on the spring hunting season.

Accusing BirdLife of exercising “pretended rights”, it suggested the bird protection organisation had in the past easily obtained data from “one of its supporters within Mepa”.

The federation said it officially asked for the same data from the Government and although this was not made available, it compiled its spring hunting derogation report “without, as in the case of BLM, tarnishing Malta’s image at all costs locally and abroad as long as it reaches its aims”.

FKNK also said it expected the Commission to be “pragmatic and unbiased” in its assessment of the reports it receives and to assess each document “within the framework of the aims of the entity that wrote it”.

The Government has rejected Birdlife’s allegations, saying that the information was still being collected.