The hunters’ lobby has hit back at conservationists’ efforts to stop bird trapping, saying they have an unfair agenda against them.
The FKNK went to court on Friday after NGO BirdLife Malta last week filed a judicial protest demanding the revocation of legislation allowing trappers to participate in a bird capture ‘study’.
The study scheme was first introduced by the government last year after the European Commission effectively banned a regular trapping season.
Conservationists claim the legislation is nothing but a smokescreen to mask illegal trapping of birds.
On Saturday, the hunting lobby hit back, filing its own judicial protest against Birdlife.
Hunters are calling on the conservationists to stop its “manoeuvres” which they claim are based on “unfounded premises and half truths” and to cease in its “agenda” against hunters and trappers.
What are hunters claiming?
The FKNK said that bird ringers carried out research 24 hours-a-day, throughout the whole year, with unlimited access to all areas across the Maltese Islands, including bird sanctuaries and protected zones.
Such bird ringers apparently operated under no surveillance, using all sorts of trapping nets and equipment.
On the other hand, trappers participating in this project set up in terms of the framework law allowing the finch trapping ‘research’ derogation, were subject to various limitations, the FKNK said in its judicial protest filed before the First Hall of the Civil Court on Friday.
Each trapper was limited to one specific registered site and trapping could only take place between October 20 and December 20, 2021, starting two hours before sunrise up to two hours after sunset.
And while bird ringers conducted their activity for free, trappers had to pay a licence fee varying between €65 and €90.
Moreover, trapping was targeted by “strict, regular and persistent” surveillance and restricted to seven particular species, unlike bird ringing that covered all species, including protected birds.
Trappers could only make use of one clap net, with specific dimensions, pointed out FKNK, questioning why BirdLife’s ringers enjoyed many “privileges.”
BirdLife was acting as though it were above the law, wanting to block this research project simply because it was to be conducted by trappers, FKNK said.
Moreover, the NGO was spreading wrong information when it wrongly alleged that the study project would result in the trapping of thousands of birds.
The research was to adopt the ‘catch and release’ method which meant that no bird would be caged and the law, by any stretch of legal interpretation, did not allow this.
And why should trappers be “collectively punished” because of the possibility of any alleged illegalities, questioned the hunters and trappers’ federation.
The protest says that BirdLife’s latest call to ban the research project was its “umpteenth attack” against the FKNK.
Lawyer Kathleen Calleja Grima signed FKNK’s judicial act.
On Friday, the European Commission announced it was taking Malta to the European Court for violating a ban on bird trapping.
The legal action comes as trappers have been participating in a catch-and-release ‘study’ despite the Commission having warned Malta to stop the practice or face possible court action.