The European Commission should apply “interim measures” to prevent finch trapping pending a European Court of Justice hearing, Birdlife said yesterday.
The NGO’s conservation manager Nicholas Barbara said this would force the government to suspend the contentious practice until the court weighed in on the reopening of the season.
The possible reintroduction of autumn trapping was an-nounced by the government last year after it was phased out and banned as part of the EU accession agreement. The Commission sent Malta a final warning (letter of reasoned opinion) in May, urging it not to reopen the season.
However, since Malta did not commit to ending trapping, arguing that it was entitled to allow the practice, European Court of Justice proceedings are the next natural step.
The decision to open the trapping season will be announced in due course
The Times of Malta yesterday quoted government sources saying the Commission had initiated the legal proceedings against Malta. A spokesman for Animal Rights Parliamentary Secretary Roderick Galdes said no official notification had been received of the legal action. However, the sources said this was expected to arrive in the coming days.
The spokesman said the government had not yet decided whether or not the season would actually be opened after it was phased out in 2009. “The decision to open the trapping season will be announced in due course,” he said.
This would not be the first time Brussels has blocked the government pending court proceedings. The Commission also turned to an interim court to freeze the spring hunting season pending legal proceedings six years ago.
Birdlife yesterday welcomed the news of the upcoming proceedings and applauded the Commission for “not hesitating to intervene in the breach of EU laws”.
Trapping of finches is prohibited by EU law. The Maltese decision to reopen the contentious trapping season was based on recommendations given by the government’s consultative body, the Ornis Committee. It is set to reopen on October 20.
Although the government has not officially said this would be allowed, the hunting lobby has been accepting registrations for trapping licences, and several trapping sites have been set up in anticipation of the season.
Honey buzzard ‘is first protected bird shot this season’
An injured honey buzzard has been recovered from a Siġġiewi field, the first protected bird discovered shot so far this autumn hunting season.
In a statement, Birdlife yesterday said that it had been alerted to the incident by a member of the public.
An X-ray of the bird ordered by the conservationist NGO revealed nine pellets in its body and a fracture to its left wing. The bird has been passed to the police’s Administrative Law Enforcement for rehabilitation.
Honey buzzards are protected by the EU’s Birds Directive and subject to special conservation measures. They cannot be hunted anywhere in the EU.
Despite this, they are one of the most common targets of illegal hunting in Malta, especially in autumn when thousands migrate back to Africa, Birdlife said.
In a separate incident, birdwatchers reported seeing at least two other honey buzzards shot down over the Tal-Virtu’ area, in the limits of Rabat, on Monday evening. The matter was reported to the police.
Illegal hunting can be reported to the police on 119 or to Birdlife on 2134 7644.