The hunters' federation (FKNK) insisted today that nothing was a satisfactory solution to live bird trapping.
Reacting to a statement by BirdLife on the EU Life+ Project (where it was disclossing that the number f licensed trappers has dropped by 42%) the FKNK said it considered certain malicious declarations aimed to negatively affect the 'very lives' of trappers as very serious, and it would consider legal action.
"Since BLM, in partnership with Government, set-off with their Project, they tried all tricks in the book to get trappers involved, since this was one of the conditions imposed for the success of the project that would further ensure hundreds of thousands of taxpayers' euros directed into BLM's coffers," the federation said.
It said FKNK officials who attended a meeting on the project immediately saw through BLM's deceit and refused further meetings.
BirdLife then sponsored the Malta Cage Bird Association (MCBA), in which several trappers were affiliated. However the MCBA eventually also came to realise BLM's intent.
The FKNK said the BLM's President's claim that trappers had been approaching him personally and BLM in general to request information about an alternative to trapping was belied by thousands of trappers in an FKNK Petition.
The FKNK was also challenging BLM to supply the identity of the 411 trappers who, it had claimed, had spoken to it about pursuing other interests in replacement of trapping.
The federation insisted that surveys about trapping-sites and trapping sent to the EU Commission were mistaken.
The federation said it was inconceivable that the government had been party to all this, notwithstanding its several promises and guarantees regarding the continuation of trapping made to trappers prior to Malta's EU Membership and in particular the Prime Minister's written guarantee sent personally to each trapper.
"It is very true that trappers' licences have decreased from 4,616 to the present 2,643 since government suspended trapping of finches in 2008, however this is no achievement of Geoffrey Saliba or BLM as is being self-proclaimed, but as a direct consequence of the above facts plus the unannounced suspension of new trapping licenses on 1 August 2002, and Government's refusal to issue new licenses following the 5-year moratorium imposed by the same government through Legal Notice 56 of 2003," the federation said.
"Both BLM and Government are indifferent to the fact that trappers' family values, passions and dreams have been shattered. BirdLife are more interested in the funds they can acquire, whilst Government is totally insensitive towards the lives of its Maltese trappers, which gives more credibility to FKNK's feeling that, in Government's view, trappers are dispensable," the federation added.