Hunters make proposals on 'limited' spring hunting

Hunters are ready to forego March and accept April as the start of the hunting season in a bid to satisfy the decision of the European Court of Justice last year, which left the door ajar for “limited” hunting in spring.

From a traditional 56-day season, the hunters’ federation (FKNK) is willing to accept a shortened time window along with other conditions that would ensure hunters get to shoot at turtle dove and quail in the spring.

FKNK secretary Lino Farrugia did not reveal the details of the list of proposals, drawn up by his organisation, which forms the basis of talks between hunters and the government.

“The hunting season could be much shorter,” he says, without defining the length of the proposed season, adding hunters could do without March.

But the proposal is not the only one hunters are submitting. Mr Farrugia says the federation is also proposing bag limits, which would establish the maximum number of birds a hunter can shoot every day.

Once again, he avoids detail but insists the limit does not imply each hunter would shoot the established amount every day.

“The bag limit is there to limit the number of birds shot on a particularly good day. Bird migration over Malta is quite erratic and hunters can go for days without a bird in sight,” he says, insisting opening the hunting season on alternate days is not an option.

The proposals are intended to define the words “limited spring hunting”, which the ECJ ruling did not do.

Europe’s high court had said the autumn season in Malta was not a satisfactory alternative for spring hunting of quail and turtle dove. This was interpreted by the government and hunters as having left the door open even though the court had also decreed Malta was in breach of the Birds Directive when it allowed spring hunting to go ahead after EU accession in 2004.

Under the Birds Directive, spring hunting is not allowed and any decision by national governments to open the season would have to be justified afterwards according to restricted parameters spelled out in the directive.

The government is now studying ways in which it could apply the derogation to allow spring hunting and respect the ECJ’s ruling.

The Prime Minister has confirmed the government’s intentions but refrained from giving any details as to what conditions will be imposed on hunters.

EU Commission officials told The Sunday Times that spring hunting was still possible in Malta following the court judgement but they also warned that any decision had to respect the limits imposed.

“If we feel Malta surpasses the limits imposed, we will take the country back to court. And this time there will be fines,” the officials told the newspaper.

The situation is a tricky one and ornithologists argue that any notion of limited spring hunting is next to impossible to achieve given the size of the hunting fraternity and the number of birds they shoot.

Birdlife Malta puts the onus on the government and warns against the risk of applying a derogation which may lead to Malta being taken to the ECJ for a second time.

“If the Office of the Prime Minister has any idea how Malta could meet all the conditions for a lawful derogation, then we expect the OPM to reveal the details of such a plan to the public before a decision is taken,” Birdlife Malta President Joe Mangion says.

He doubts how the Prime Minister believes Malta could meet all conditions of the Birds Directive with a “proven record of inadequate enforcement of hunting laws”.

“It is about time the Prime Minister respects European nature conservation laws and the will of the majority of the Maltese who do not want another spring hunting season,” Mr Mangion says.

The issue may very well boil down to whether hunters can be trusted with adhering to strict conditions and achieve what according to Birdlife was not even achieved abroad.

The secretary of St Hubert’s Hunters, Mark Mifsud Bonnici, believes the reputation hunters have earned is unfair because illegalities perpetrated by the few were “inflated”.

“The problem is not what it is made out to be. There are problematic hunters but the situation is under control,” he says, insisting his organisation agrees with beefing up the police section that deals with enforcement of hunting regulations.

Mr Mifsud Bonnici goes a step further. He argues in favour of the creation of a Wildlife Crime Unit, a proposal with which hunters and bird lovers, for a change, both agree.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com