Malta faces the prospect of being "shamed and fined" by the European Court of Justice again after announcing a limited hunting season in spring, Birdlife warned yesterday.
Birdlife President Joseph Mangion said the move was still in breach of EU law and the Commission could take swift action against Malta as it did against Cyprus in 2007 when turtle dove shooting was allowed for only two days.
The government's decision in favour of a six-day hunting season was described by Birdlife Malta as a "farce", while hunters last Friday said the decision was "obscene" and "ridiculous" - because it would lead to discrimination since only a quarter of licensed hunters would be allowed to enjoy their hobby.
In a statement on Friday, the government said it had calculated that a bag limit of 13,000 quail and 12,000 turtle dove would be within the parameters of the limited number laid down in the EU's Birds Directive. However, since no agreement had been reached with the European Commission, the government restricted the numbers further, leaving the option open for a more extended season in future.
Birdlife said such statements only served to "raise false expectations among the hunting community and ensure the saga of spring hunting in Malta is needlessly perpetuated".
Mr Mangion accused the government of trying to appease hunters "at the expense of taxpayers", insisting it was impossible to control the daily quota of two birds and a maximum seasonal limit of three birds for every licence since migration over Malta occurred in short bursts with large numbers of birds that allowed hunters to shoot a lot of birds in a short time span.
The bird conservation group also said government's figures on the number of birds that could be shot contained "technical mistakes".
"We have no choice but to wait for the Commission's action to put an end to this saga," Mr Mangion said.
The hunters' federation has instructed its members not to apply for the 2,500 special licences and gave the government until Thursday to change the new regulations.
Hunter representatives said they would not hunt this year if the regulations remained the same and were seeking legal redress.
PN backbencher Philip Mifsud, elected from the seventh district where the hunting community is a strong force, told The Sunday Times that the government should have taken up the "scientifically proven" option that permitted a catch of around 23,000 birds in spring.
"The calculations used to justify Malta's court case were based on figures by Birdlife International and I believe we should have gone for this option. The decision does not satisfy hunters because it is based on a total catch of around 8,000 birds," he said.
However, fellow MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando was more cautious: "I know it is very difficult to find the right balance between the aspirations of hunters and our EU obligations."
ksansone@timesofmalta.com