Bird trapping is an outdated, cruel practice. It inflicts suffering on birds, disrupts migratory patterns, and often violates both ethical standards and conservation laws.
It is also in breach of the EU Birds directive, no matter the repeated attempts by our governments to fool Brussels.
It was, therefore, no surprise that the European Court of Justice finally delivered a decisive ruling declaring the finch-trapping derogation, under which Malta permitted the trapping of seven species of finches, to be illegal.
The decision sends a clear signal that Malta’s years of defying EU regulations on bird conservation are coming to an end.
When Malta joined the EU in 2004, it committed to phasing out the practice of bird trapping by 2009, in accordance with the Birds Directive. The directive permits exceptions (derogations) to the laws under specific circumstances, when no other alternatives are available and if the practice serves a legitimate purpose, such as scientific research or public health.
However, the two main parties in Malta have historically targeted the hunters’ lobby votes, despite the cruelty of the practice and the relentless pressure which harmed our reputation. Still, they went the extra mile in defiance of the law.
In 2014, the Maltese government backtracked on its commitments and reopened the finch trapping season, arguing that the trapping of finches was a deeply ingrained cultural tradition. The European Commission swiftly challenged the decision but the Maltese government sought new ways to sidestep the law.
The time has come for Maltese politicians to show leadership and put an end to this toxic relationship
In a ridiculous argument to pander to the trappers, it reopened finch trapping under the guise of a scientific derogation, allowing trappers to catch finches with the purported goal of checking for scientific rings before releasing them. It was nothing but a farcical ploy, a smokescreen with no genuine scientific or conservation value.
Shame that it took the ECJ years to finally put a lid on finch trapping. We can only hope that the enforcement authorities will now uphold the law and clamp down on bird trapping. But we’re not holding our breath.
Just hours after the decision was made public, Minister Clint Camilleri – himself a trapper – shamelessly tried to reinterpret the ECJ’s clear conclusions and left the door open to trapping. Even the Nationalist Party said it wanted a “dialogue” with the European Commission and bird trappers “to find a way for bird trapping to be carried out sustainably”.
If Malta wants to avoid further international humiliation and spare the country hundreds of thousands of euros of additional legal fees, it has no choice but to respect the court decision.
The time has come for Maltese politicians to show leadership and put an end to this toxic relationship.
The overwhelming majority of Maltese have grown increasingly frustrated with the government’s inaction on environmental conservation.
The public should be able to enjoy what little remains of the countryside without encountering nets and traps with small birds breaking their wings. The public should have a right to enjoy nature without being told off by trappers to get off “their land”.
Birdlife Malta is also right in calling for the Ornis committee – which is responsible for advising the government on hunting and trapping-related issues – to be reformed to be truly scientific.
Malta has a chance to start fixing its international reputation and stamp out its notorious name of an island that relentlessly kills and traps birds.
Shame that we are still facing other EU infringement proceedings on spring hunting, as well as the trapping of song thrush and golden plover. We only live in hope that these cruel practices will be stopped by the EU since our parliamentarians persist in treating the hunting and trapping lobbies like sacred cows.