St. Hubert Hunters (Kaccaturi San Ubertu) has called on the Maltese members of the European Parliament to raise the proposal of an embargo upon the Arab world on the trade of all shotguns, shotgun ammunition and hunting related merchandise manufactured in Europe.

KSU, in a statement argued that the turtle dove “is hunted in its hundreds of thousands without any form of control in the Arab world.”

“The European Commission imposes quotas on turtle dove hunting, it also conducts studies and projects to help the turtle dove recuperate,” said KSU President Mark Mifsud Bonnici. “But when faced with clear proof of massacres in the Arab world on all bird species, including the turtle dove it remains passive.”

“Apart from the conservation measures already in place locally, when compared to the efforts of other Member States, Malta’s contribution to help the turtle dove recuperate could prove to be the most effective,” he said.

Mifsud Bonnici argued that the “damage done to the turtle dove due to bad agricultural practices will not be solved through a moratorium on a 5000 bird quota in spring in Malta and even less by banning or restricting its hunting in the European Union.”

“All this is nonsensical when the same bird we depend on in Europe is hunted in its hundreds of thousands without any form of control in the Arab world,” he said.

Notwithstanding the political and commercial pressure the Commission can exert on the Arab world to stop the damage done to Europe’s birds it only acts within the Member States and mainly on hunting, Mifsud Bonnici said.

“As a sign of protest and as action against the undermining of its efforts to help the turtle dove recuperate, the least we expect is for the European Commission to place an embargo upon the Arab world on the trade of all shotguns, shotgun ammunition and hunting related merchandise manufactured in Europe,” concluded Mark Mifsud Bonnici.

Photo by St. Hubert Hunters (Kaccaturi San Ubertu)

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