The head of the hunters’ federation has insisted that trappers did “everything and more” to abide by EU regulations as the European Commission instituted court proceedings against Malta over the finch trapping season.

“We have gone to great lengths to come in line with all the rules in the Commission’s guidelines and enforced the regulations rigorously,” Joe Perici Calascione from the FKNK, told the Times of Malta. “The way trapping used to take place is a thing of the past.”

The Commission announced yesterday it had referred Malta to the European Court of Justice over the decision to allow the trapping of seven species of wild finches as from 2014.

The government responded by pledging to “defend Malta’s right to apply finch live-capturing derogations in line with EU law”.

Mr Perici Calascione said all the conditions for a derogation were being met and that the number of birds caught during the season was “insignificant”, adding that Malta should show a willingness to retain its cultural traditions.

The capture and keeping of bird species like finches is generally prohibited in the EU. Under the EU Birds Directive, member states may derogate from the strict protection requirement if there is no other satisfactory solution and the derogation is used judiciously, with small numbers and strict supervision.

The Commission has previously ruled that these conditions were not met in Malta’s case and sent a letter of formal notice last October urging the government to refrain from finch trapping.

Despite this warning, the 2014 finch trapping season was opened as planned and the Commission sent a reasoned opinion last May, urging Malta to end the practice.

The government replied by contesting the Commission’s analysis, leading to the case being referred to the European Court of Justice.