The spring hunting referendum will only confirm or abolish the framework legislation which enables the government to apply a derogation to permit 20 half days of legal hunting in spring for turtle doves and quails, the hunters’ federation said.

The federation noted in a statement that other legally protected birds migrated over the Maltese islands throughout the year.

Any illegal targeting of these birds was regulated by other regulations which were strictly enforced by the competent authorities, the FKNK said.

These regulations, it said, carried some of the harshest fines in the world, besides jail time and irrelevant of the referendum results they would stay in force.