BirdLife Malta has said that in a few days’ time, “the Government will be opening a trapping season for songbirds in a few days time,” with the announcement to be made soon.

The activists in a statement explained how the present situation is “completely surreal,” with the Government this season carrying this out “under the excuse that trappers will be carrying out a scientific study.”

The research study is on seven species of songbirds “in order to establish for reference the population in Malta.”

The Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri had in August said, that as the Ministry responsible for regulating hunting and trapping, he had written to ask the Ornis Committee to “discuss and advise the Government” on the application of a derogation for the “trapping of seven species of songbirds for research purposes.”

Then in late August, the Ornis Committee voted in favour of the proposal, a decision welcomed by the Minister for Gozo.

The Interdiocesan Environment Commission (KA) entered a submission as part of the consultation. Making the point that was “seriously concerned” about the speed with which it is working out this proposal. “So much is being done in a hurry that, from the comments that have appeared in the media there seems to be a great lack of knowledge about what needs to be done within the same community of trappers – those who will be involved in this study.”

It pointed out that “this suggests that a means has been found as we turn to the law that limits trapping and thus offer a quick solution to solve the (short-term) issue of trapping in our country.”

In her article on the announcement, Marie Claire Gatt, an ornithologist with an M. Sc. in Bird Conservation, currently finalising a Ph. D. in avian migration ecology, said the “flawed research derogation is a gift to trapping lobby.”

BirdLife Malta said that describing this trapping as scientific research was a “weak and stupid excuse” – a decision “spurred by considerations” which are “purely vote-catching. And it is happening in a situation where the number of trappers who trap is insignificant when compared to all Maltese and Gozitans who care for our country’s environment.”

This is a wrong decision, for many reasons, BirdLife said, “mainly because in 2018 Malta was stopped from opening a trapping season by the European Court.”

“Also in its Accession Treaty to the European Union (EU), Malta had agreed to abolish trapping for songbirds by 2008. This had in fact materialised”, said BirdLife.

It went on to say that however, in 2014 the Government opened the season again and in “just four years was found guilty by the European Court of Justice of breaching the EU’s Birds Directive.”

The activists argued that it is an “absolute farce that they want us to believe that trappers are expected to release all birds which they trap.”

“In the face of this mockery, it is evidently clear that Prime Minister Robert Abela has been completely deceived by Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri who it seems, apart from being a trapper, is also a politician who doesn’t give a hoot about what our country has achieved over a period of 20 years for the environment,” stated BirdLife Malta.

BirdLife Malta concluded by saying that, with the help of local organisations and particularly international ones, it will do its utmost in the European and Maltese institutions to “stop this arrogant and wrong decision using all possible means in the country’s interest and in the interest of the Maltese people who want a better environment in a modern world which embraces progressive values and not regressive ones.”

Photo: BirdLife Malta – Trapper with caller on top of cage

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