I was over the moon when I read the news item Hunters' Federation Fumes Over EU Court Action. This federation and its activities are a huge disgrace to the Maltese Islands as a whole. I have on several occasions witnessed bird hunting and trapping in Malta, and I cringe at the very thought of it. Many a time, when my wife and I prepared to leave our villa in Madliena to go to church on a Sunday morning, we encountered a bird hunter crouching under the steps, with a fully loaded double-barrelled shotgun! This same individual was responsible for waking us up at 5.30 a.m. on a day when we looked forward to an extra hour in bed. This is not to be tolerated in a civilised country. It is more reminiscent of the Third World.

To this day the Maltese government has had its hands tied when it came to dealing with this barbaric practice, because of the large lobby this federation appears to have. It has taken the EU to finally put them in their place. They are naturally trying to put on a brave face by intimating that they intend to go to court to save their skins. I am quite confident that they have no chance of overruling an EU decision.

This has been one big plus of Malta's decision to join the EU. The stranglehold on the Maltese government has finally been loosened. Thank God for that!