The hunters’ federation was the only stakeholder invited by the Wild Birds Regulation Unit to discuss the format and syllabus of the trapping exam paper that resulted in an unprecedented pass rate.
The Parliamentary Secretary for Animal Rights, led by Roderick Galdes, confirmed the FKNK was the only stakeholder consulted. The federation, whose members were sitting for the exam, was even given a sample paper.
When the exams started, everyone sat for the same paper. Even those who failed faced the same exam paper during the resit.
This newspaper revealed last week the success rate for individuals who sat for the exam to acquire trapping licences was almost 100 per cent, an impossible achievement were it not for the fact that they all faced the same exam paper.
The process for acquiring the licence was changed last year, from an interview to a written examination. The WBRU said this was done to “replace the unregulated practice of random questions placed to the interviewee”.
The Times of Malta asked why the government did not consult other stakeholders or even the Ornis Committee, which advises the government on hunting and trapping regulations. It replied that it was because the FKNK was the main stakeholder affected because its members sat for the exam. The WBRU said the paper was disclosed to Birdlife and the Ornis Committee after examinations were held.
Birdlife said the fact that everyone faced the same paper questioned the validity of the licences.
This has created a demand which will inevitably result in the practice continuing on even illegally
“People were awarded licences not on the basis of their knowledge of regulations but on how well they managed to memorise and get away with a pass mark,” said conservation manager Nicholas Barbara.
The exam paper, which was included in the derogation report submitted to the European Commission to justify the opening of the spring hunting season, was available online until recently. It was then removed but The Sunday Times of Malta acquired a copy.
In total, 2,122 applicants sat for the licensing examination in 22 sessions, according to the report. Each exam session lasted one hour and consisted of a written multiple choice test. The exam paper consisted of two parts: part one dealt with applicable regulations while part two dealt with a species identification test.
Applicants who either failed to show up for the exam or failed the exam were allowed to re-sit. Out of the 2,122 who applied, only nine failed. Following the re-sit sessions held on September 26 in Malta and October 3 in Gozo, everyone who sat for the exam passed.
These were new licences issued for the finch trapping season which was opened again last year despite a warning by the European Commission that it was in breach of EU regulations. In total, there were 4,168 trappers, with the rest already having a licence.
“Last year, the government lifted a 2003 moratorium on trapping licences which was part of the EU Accession Treaty. This will have repercussions over many years to come,” Mr Barbara said.
Birdlife explained this has enabled more people to take up a practice which was otherwise dying out. “This has created a demand which will inevitably result in the practice continuing on even illegally, putting an even higher burden on enforcement authorities,” Mr Barbara added.
It also allowed a wider effort to catch wild finches, which exerts a greater impact on the countryside with four trapping sites per licence allowed. Over 8,000 installations were registered last year.
Italy banned trapping last week after it received the second warning from the European Commission, a course of action that contrasts with the Maltese government’s decision so far to face the European Court of Justice if necessary.