Federation for Hunting & Conservation – Malta (FKNK) has said in a statement that “it seems that the Maltese Government intends to continue to totally eliminate the traditional socio-cultural passion of live-bird capturing from the Maltese Islands.”
FKNK said that “in its opinion this is clear from the following facts:
– in breach of Government’s own Legislation and notwithstanding the termination of the moratorium that had prohibited the issue of new trapping licenses on 1st August 2007, new trapping licenses are still not being granted;
and in Government’s informal Hunting and Trapping Policy Guidelines published on 12th August 2011, one reads:
– “Coturnix coturnix (Quail) and Streptopelia turtur (Turtle Dove) will not be considered for any derogation, including derogations to allow autumn trapping, …:
– Trapping is banned by the Birds Directive…”. The FKNK repeats it is not true that live-bird capturing (referred to locally as trapping) is banned by the “Birds” Directive.”
FKNK continued, “Government announced the open season for hunting from land and sea-craft for this year’s autumn/winter and did not in conjunction announce the trapping seasons as is normally done, notwithstanding having had the Ornis Committee recommendation to open the trapping season for the turtle dove, quail, song thrush and golden plover as usual.”
The FKNK said that it “insists that the application of a derogation to permit trapping for huntable species, as are listed the above four mentioned species, is unnecessary, and repeats that it has often advised the authorities that a derogation need not be applied to permit trapping for otherwise legal huntable species because:
– It is up to the Member State to decide upon the methods (shotguns, nets, etc.) which may be used to permit the taking of species from the wild in autumn;
– The “Birds” Directive only prohibits the use of nets when these can result in capture on a large scale and non-selective, or when such use can cause the disappearance of the local population. Conditions that are inexistent in traditional local trapping practices;
– When Malta did not apply a derogation to permit trapping for these four species, the Commission never objected.”
FKNK continued, it “believes therefore, that this Malta Government’s move, not Europe’s, besides demonstrating another Government summersault since this contradicts what the same Government had stated this very 6th July, in that it would defend the trapping practice of these four species, further nullifies Government’s several promises and guarantees made to hunters and trappers over the years, because yet again another chunk of hunters and trappers legal rights is being eliminated. Furthermore, the Maltese Government also continues to confirm how correct the FKNK has always been, and that the truth has always been transmitted to hunters and trappers only by the FKNK.”
The FKNK concluded that it “notes Government’s contempt towards hunters and trappers, since yet again it left both the announcement of the hunting season and the trapping elimination to the very eve of the date when the seasons were due to be declared open, and when it is aware that hunters and trappers have paid this year’s trapping licence since last February.”