BirdLife welcomed the decision not to open an autumn trapping season but the hunter’s federation accused the government of performing a somersault.
BirdLife said the government had been expected to allow trapping but decided not to because of infringement proceedings started by the European Commission in June.
Referring to the government’s statement that it required more information and assessments before applying for a derogation to allow trapping, BirdLife noted that the exercise would take time and it was therefore highly unlikely that any trapping season could be opened this year.
The hunters’ federation, FKNK, accused the government of wanting to totally eliminate the “traditional socio-cultural passion of live-bird capturing”. It pointed out that no new trapping licences had been granted despite a moratorium having ended in 2007.
The FKNK insisted that trapping was not banned by the Birds Directive, as BirdLife and the government claimed.
It argued that Malta did not even need to apply a derogation because it was up to member states to decide the methods used to capture species from the wild in autumn.
“The Birds Directive only prohibits the use of nets when these can result in capture on a large scale and non-selective or when such use can cause the disappearance of the local population, of which conditions are inexistent in traditional local trapping practices,” the hunter’s federation said.
It added that when Malta did not apply a derogation to allow trapping of four species (quails, golden plover, turtle dove and song thrush), the European Commission never objected.
Pointing out that only six weeks ago the government said allowing trapping was “possible”, the FKNK said this was “another government somersault”.
It said it was contemptuous to leave the announcement of the hunting season and the trapping elimination to the eve of the date when the season was due to be opened. Hunters and trappers, who paid their hunting and trapping licences since last February, were made to wait till the last minute to see if the season would open.
The hunting season remains unchanged from last year.