BirdLife Malta has rebutted a government statement yesterday that its decision not to attend this week's Ornis Committee meeting ran counter to a joint statement BirdLife International had issued with the Federation of Associations for Hunting and Conservation.

The statement the government referred to had been issued on the eve of the European Court of Justice judgement in 2009 and the two organizations had said that “we will respect the ruling of the court and we call upon all parties and individuals to do the same.”

In its statement today, BirdLife said the government this month published two legal notices on spring hunting, each one day before the Ornis Committee meeting.

In both cases, the Ornis Committee was not aware that the legal notices were on the table. The legislation was presented to the Ornis Committee as a fait accompli.

This sidestepping of the committee clearly showed that the government does not wish to consult its advisory body on this matter.

The meeting last Tuesday discussed spring hunting legislation, however, since all decisions had already been taken the meeting was pointless, which was why BirdLife did not attend.

The organisation reminded the government that the ECJ ruling obliged it to ensure that the populations of the species concerned were maintained at a satisfactory level, and that this was a pre-requisite to any derogation.

The government needed to take into account the European Conservation Status prior to opening a spring hunting season, as was also expected by the Commission.

“The Ornis Committee is currently being used for nothing more than rubberstamping government’s decision to re-open the spring hunting season,” BirdLife said.