Birdlife Malta has lambasted the Government for trying to exploit a technical loophole to appease trappers and their hobby.
They are trying to legalise something which has been happening illegally
Conservation manager Nicholas Barbara said it was significant that the Government was prepared to go to the extremity of exploiting a loophole to ensure the continuation of bird trapping.
“Our position is against trapping, in line with the Birds Directive, especially on protected species like finches. We don’t know of this technical loophole that is being mentioned but we have now gone to the extremity of trying to exploit loopholes. Whatever the case, we expect this matter to be discussed at Ornis Committee level before any decisions are taken,” he said, when contacted yesterday.
He was asked to comment after Parliamentary Secretary for Animal Rights, Roderick Galdes, told Times of Malta on Tuesday that the government had found a “technical loophole” which would enable it to present its proposals for the EU to grant Malta derogation for bird trapping in autumn.
When asked if trapping would include finches, a sore point for ornithologists, he said: “That could be possible – but one has to see.” (See story below).
Mr Barbara said finches could not be hunted, which meant they were protected and that Malta already had two infringement proceedings over autumn trapping.
After derogating from the Birds Directive until 2009, finch trapping became illegal as of January 2009. However, abuse was still rampant and apart from the golden plovers and song thrushes, finches were illegally trapped.
“They are trying to legalise some-thing which has been happening illegally,” he said.
He added: “I do not think the EU will allow us to negotiate something over which there has already been agreement to phase out,” referring to an agreement Malta struck with the EU to phase out the trapping of finches.
Since Malta joined the EU in 2004, it has always made use of a derogation to allow the trapping of four bird species during autumn: turtle doves and quail (also hunted), golden plovers and song thrushes.
“We do not know of any technical loopholes and we expect this issue to be discussed at the Ornis Committee before any decisions are taken – unless Ornis will be used, like the past, as a rubberstamp,” Mr Barbara said.