More than 30,000 people have signed the petition to call for a referendum to end spring hunting, the Coalition for the Abolition of Spring Hunting said today.

As it urged signature collectors to increase their efforts in the run up to Christmas, the coalition said it was embarking on the signature verification process.

“We need 10 per cent of Maltese voters who can vote in a general election to have signed the petition and we are now checking all the information submitted to ensure it is correct and valid," spokesman Christrian Debono said.

Copies of the petition form and instructions on how to gather signatures can be downloaded from the BirdLife Malta website.