Hunters a national embarrassment

Over the years, Malta has become used to the hunters’ federation (the Federation for Hunting and Conservation) making threatening and outlandish demands of politicians in its bid to promote hunting and trapping.

In the 1990s, in the lead-up to one general election, the pattern of aggressive behaviour was established when ‘Namur jew ntajru’ was scrawled outside the prehistoric temples (loosely translated as ‘Give us our birds, or we’ll blow up the temples’) in an effort to pre-empt steps aimed at controlling spring hunting.

Only last autumn the federation, having come up against the determined exposure of hunters’ and trappers’ illegal activities by the German-based Campaign Against Bird Slaughter (CABS), angrily protested that “CABS personnel descend on our island and are free to roam our countryside, be this private or state-owned, to play policemen”.

This was clearly the precursor to the federation’s call to the political parties to commit themselves to a “system that would stop foreigners roaming the Maltese countryside as they please”.

The demand is comical, were its implications not so serious. For the worrying truth is that the hunters’ federation clearly feels confident enough of its position in relation to the two major political parties to make such an outrageous request.

This is indicative of their assessment that both parties – which are daily promising voters more and more concessions – are theirs for the asking. Only Alternattiva Demokratika, to its credit, has responded to the hunters’ statement, making it patently clear that the request was “unbelievable,” illegal under EU law, as well as “absurd” and impractical.

The nub of the issue for the hunters’ federation is that the presence of CABS, and other foreign environmentalists as well as Birdlife Malta, during the spring and autumn hunting season has uncovered a spate of illegalities committed by Maltese hunters and trappers, and its members do not like this.

If the federation really was committed to the “conservation” which supposedly forms a part of its purpose, it would welcome, not condemn, the presence of foreign environmentalists reporting hunting and trapping lawbreakers. In its arrogance, the hunters’ federation clearly forgets that Malta is a free country, where members of the EU and other foreign visitors are free to roam anywhere.

Indeed, it seems to escape the federation that a sizeable part of Malta’s economy is dependent on the goodwill and economic input of these visitors, and that the Malta Tourism Authority is actively trying to encourage more green tourism and nature walks in the countryside. In making this demand to restrict tourists’ movements, the hunters’ federation is simply a national embarrassment.

As to the hunters’ other demands, reports of promises being made by the Labour Party that it would, among other changes, amend the current framework legislation to allow hunters to shoot more quail and turtle dove in the spring season have been circulating for some time. The Nationalist Party is unlikely to allow itself to be out-flanked on this issue.

Both parties should recall that as a member of the EU, the Government agreed to a wide range of environmental and other regulations, among which is the EU Birds Directive. Instead of grubbing around for votes from the hunters, the right course for Malta – legally, morally and in its own self-interest – which both parties should embrace, is to conform scrupulously to the letter and the spirit of agreements made on accession, and specifically to the EU Birds Directive.