Proposals drawn up by hunters for "sustainable" spring hunting have been passed on to the Ornis Committee, the hunters' federation said yesterday.

No details were given as to what the proposals contain but the Federation for Hunting and Conservation said they were aimed at allowing "sustainable hunting and trapping of turtle dove and quails in April and May".

"After March 4 the Prime Minister should announce the application of a derogation from the EU Birds Directive," the statement said.

The Ornis Committee, which is entrusted to make recommendations on when and if the hunting season is to open, brings together representatives of the hunting lobby and Birdlife.

The next meeting of the Ornis Committee is scheduled for Tuesday but the hunters' proposals were not yet on the agenda yesterday, sources said.

The European Court of Justice had ruled last year that the autumn season in Malta is not a satisfactory alternative for spring hunting of quail and turtle dove. The government and hunters say this has left the door open for limited spring hunting.

Europe's high court had also decreed that Malta was in breach of the Birds Directive when it allowed spring hunting to go ahead after EU accession in 2004.

The court had said the number of birds shot in spring - figures presented by the government and based on what hunters had reported - was also excessive. This effectively means that with around 17,000 licensed hunters each one would only be allowed to shoot one quail and two turtle doves for the whole spring season.

Birdlife has argued that allowing any form of spring hunting would produce the same results as it did in previous years, landing Malta in court all over again.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com