Updated 2.20pm with Rangers reaction
A Labour MEP candidate thinks environmental rangers are out in "exaggerated" numbers in the Maltese countryside.
Marija Sara Vella Gafa said she wants a "balance" between environmental protection and people's right to practice their "pastimes" - a euphemism commonly used for hunting and trapping.
"Many people are speaking to me about a large and even exaggerated presence of rangers in the countryside. Even on private property where there is no illegality," the Gudja mayor, who also works at the Environment Ministry, said.
The Malta Ranger Unit is mainly made up of volunteers and does not have the power to enforce regulations.
However, it works closely with the police's Environmental Protection Unit (EPU) and the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA), which do have enforcement powers.
Rangers are tasked with looking out for environmental crime in the countryside. That includes everything from out-of-control bonfires and unsanctioned construction, to illegal hunting and trapping.
On Wednesday morning Vella Gafa said: "the time has come to find a real and tangible balance between Maltese pastimes and the protection of the environment".
"While we need to protect the environment, we also need to ensure that those who have a pastime can practice it comfortably, within the parameters of the law," Vella Gafa.
"It's time we were clear about what right someone has to enter into private property for environmental protection reasons. Clear rules will reduce useless conflicts".
Rangers: Such posts contribute to misinformation
In a comment beneath the post, the Malta Rangers Unit said Vella Gafa was spreading misinformation based purely on rumour.
"Our rangers never go into private land. On the contrary we assist many land owners to prevent trampling on their land," the unit said. "Environmental crimes are thriving in Malta. What are you doing in your council of Gudja to reduce crimes?"
The unit said there was no evidence of what Vella Gafa was alleging, while "on the contrary there is evidence of severe threats towards rangers".
Brussels and Malta are at legal loggerheads over what the European Commission considers to be the country's failure to respect EU-wide hunting and trapping rules.
Last summer, European environment commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius said Malta was not implementing the "very clear rules" established in the Birds Directive, which aims to protect wild birds and their habitats in the EU.
“Unfortunately, Malta did not prohibit (hunting and trapping), and that left the Commission without a choice but to refer Malta to the European Court of Justice,” he said.
The case is currently being heard by the ECJ.