The Hunters’ Federation has written to the EU Environment Commissioner explaining how the government seemed to have applied a Birds’ Directive derogation incorrectly.

The Federation for Hunting & Conservation (FKNK) said it wrote to Commissioner Janez Potočnik referring to the Commission’s Reasoned Opinion on the autumn/winter trapping of four huntable bird-species, sent to the Maltese government.

The FKNK said it was obliged to write to the Commissioner directly since it was informed that all the material it produced, which on the Maltese government’s instructions was always supplied to the Malta Ornis Committee, did not get the Commission’s attention. 

The FKNK said its letter contained explanations as to how the five conditions of the derogation, ‘no other satisfactory solution’, ‘small numbers’, ‘strictly supervised conditions’, ‘judicious use’ and ‘selectivity’, could be satisfied. 

The letter also detailed other factual local situations with regards to ‘trapped birds are never for consumption’, ‘number of trapping sites’ and ‘Natura 2000 sites’.