The government this evening denied Malta was hoping to wiggle out of its commitment to phase out finch trapping through a reinterpretation of the agreement signed when joining the EU.

In a statement, the Parliamentary Secretariat for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights this evening published documentation presented by the Wild Birds Regulation Unit to the Malta Ornis Committee in early April.

The publication of the documentation follows a story on Times of Malta today saying that the Parliamentary Secretariat for Animal Rights refused its request to publish the advice, arguing it was “covered by legal privilege”.

The newspaper then filed a Freedom of Information Request with the Parliamentary Secretariat for Animal Rights for the documents. The request was refused within two hours.

The government this evening said the documentation did not constitute an official government policy position on finch trapping dossier, but was merely a summary of the legal and technical assessment performed upon request of Ornis by the Wild Birds Regulation Unit which acted as a secretariat to the committee and supported the committee’s work.

The government said that at this stage, the Secretariat was analysing the committee’s recommendations as well as other advice and would decide and announce its decision in due course.

“Before this decision is announced, it is premature to speculate on the principle, or the exact parameters of potential finch live-capturing season and the controls that may be put into place to ensure compliance with the Birds Directive.”

Read the Times of Malta story on the e-paper or timesofmalta.com premium here.