The hunters’ federation and its secretary general are considering legal action against a journalist, who they did not name, who they said published an article aimed to slander Mr Farrugia and the federation by maliciously putting them in a bad light.

In its statement, the Federation for Hunting and Conservation said that its secretary general was never a minister’s consultant under the Nationalist administration but commissioned by the FKNK to carry out certain work for the federation.

Replying to a Parliamentary question some days ago, Tourism Minister Karmenu Vella said that the previous government paid €17,509 to the general secretary of the hunters’ federation in 2012 for “consultancy” about hunting and trapping.

The minister said that Lino Farrugia was paid in seven installments for consultancy services provided between 2011 and 2012, which he gave on behalf of the FKNK. The minister said that contracts were awarded by direct order.

The FKNK said in its statement that the work Mr Farrugia was commissioned to carry out included the research and the writing of reports approved by the federation. The report were then given to the Government, the Opposition, the European Commission and other entities.

The reported payment figures, it said, were not correct and were not just for work carried out last year but included arrears for work done in previous years. The amounts also included 18 per cent VAT which had to be repaid to the government.

The federation said that any arrangement on hunting and trapping by the Labour Party before the last election was done with the FKNK and not with any individual or because of an individual.

Hunters and trappers, the FKNK said, contributed more than €600,000 a year in licences and studies carried out in 2007 showed that hunters’ financial impact each year amounted to €68 million.