The chances of bird flu occurring in Malta was, according to the government, very small as "Malta is considered to be a lower risk country since waterfowl, particularly ducks, bypass land and are usually seen offshore".
There is limited knowledge about how bird flu was spreading and cases have been reported in Asia as well as in Egypt, Nigeria and several European countries. It is known that the incubation period of the virus is between three and 10 days, making it very possible for migratory species to carry the virus.
The president of the Federation for Hunting and Conservation, Lino Farrugia, said on Monday there was no reason for the government to stop spring hunting and advised hunters to ensure their dogs did not eat the birds they shot. He also said it would do hunters "no harm to wear gloves".
Mr Farrugia was speaking shortly after the government announced its decision not to suspend hunting this coming season after studying the situation in view of concerns about bird flu.
In the wake of the government decision, The Times yesterday sent the Environment Ministry a set of questions to find out why the decision was made.
Asked to comment about the statement by the hunters' federation that were it not for its pressure the government's decision would have been different, the ministry denied the government's decision was dictated by the federation's pressures.
"Recent decisions confirm that the government is prepared to take all measures in its powers if it is scientifically proven that there are risks involved," the government said.
Asked which species of birds have been found with bird flu in Europe and in Africa, the government supplied links to the websites of the EU and World Organisation for Animal Health, which mention a limited number of birds.
A US Department of Home Affairs website that lists all the bird and animal species that have been reported with bird flu contains several birds that appear regularly in the Maltese islands. Apart from several species of ducks and swans, the list also mentions grey heron, little egret, green sandpiper, coot and moorhen, all of which are rather common spring migrants and which are regularly shot.
It also mentions species such as black-headed gull, cormorant, peregrine falcon, flamingo and great crested grebe, all being protected but regularly shot here.
The site also lists a number of animals including rats, ferrets, tigers and pigs that have become infected with avian influenza.
Although turtle doves and quails that are seen in Malta are not on the list, other species of doves and quail were also reported infected, showing that birds from these families are not immune.
Asked whether the government was convinced that migratory birds coming from Africa are free of bird flu, the ministry said Malta was carrying out regular monitoring and surveillance on both domestic birds and wildfowl. Tests have also been carried out on some migratory wildfowl and these have proved negative.
When asked how the government intended to ensure that hunters will not shoot at species such as herons and other water birds as well as wildfowl, the ministry said police administrative law enforcement unit enforced the laws.
Birdwatchers who contacted The Times yesterday said hunters from dinghies and speedboats were seen shooting at ducks close to Gozo on Sunday and yesterday and that other boats with hunters were spotted even when the "ban" on hunting wildfowl from seacraft was announced.
The ministry was also asked why have wildfowl been rounded up from several places if risks of bird flu were considered to be so small that hunting in spring could take place.
It answered that waterfowl were considered to be carriers and, hence, the government's decision to round them up as a precautionary measure.
Wildfowl made up half the list of infected birds appearing on the US website.
The government was further asked why its statement to justify allowing hunting in spring hinged on the argument that the EU has not ordered a ban on hunting when there was no need for the EU to call for such a ban because there is no hunting in spring within EU countries, except for Malta.
The government stressed that the European Commission has never ordered a ban on hunting, even when the hunting season was open in other member states. It added that the Commission had no intention to recommend increased culling of wild birds in order to combat the current avian flu crisis nor has it the intention to advocate a general ban on bird hunting.
The government considered the repercussions on the poultry and other sectors of the agro-food business as well as the tourist industry and was taking all the necessary precautions to safeguard public health and animal health.
Asked whether it was better to be cautious rather than run the risk of contracting bird flu, the government said it was taking all the precautionary measures to keep Malta free of the bird flu virus.
"This notwithstanding, the government is also committed not to adopt any unilateral measures which are not based on justified scientific advice and this has been the policy that has been adopted so far," the government said.
Asked who was politically responsible for this decision to allow hunting in spring and whether the people involved were willing to declare whether they will be held liable and responsible for such a decision if bird flu crops up because of hunting in spring, the ministry said this was a Cabinet decision and the government had considered the whole scenario, the decision being based on the information available at that time.