Hunters’ federation FKNK has requested a meeting with the prime minister to discuss how to handle a court judgement that declared its guardianship deal for the Aħrax and Miżieb woodlands null. 

In a statement issued early on Saturday, the FKNK said that it had “noted with satisfaction” the government and various ministers’ statements about the ruling.

It also urged its members not to “give in to any provocation” concerning the issue, saying some unnamed entities and people were trying to needle FKNK members. 

A court ruled earlier this week that the October 2020, three-year guardianship deal that the government penned with the FKNK was “null from the start” as it had not been done by public deed and had therefore not been subject to scrutiny or oversight. 

The controversial deal, first revealed in the media in April of that year, saw the government hand over a combined 1.5 million square metres of open public land in Mellieħa to the hunter’s lobby to manage. 

In exchange, the FKNK were to pay €400 a year, ensure passageways were kept public and set up designated “picnic areas” for the public. 

During hunting seasons, which stretch for several months a year, all other areas of the park were off-limits to members of the public. 

A map of the Aħrax woodland that shows which areas the FKNK was granted, along with small designated 'picnic areas' for the public to use during hunting seasons.

How the government reacted to the court ruling

The government reacted with a curt statement saying that it "took note" of the court judgement.  

Environment Minister Miriam Dalli said she would “prefer” the parks to be publicly accessible but stopped short of criticising the FKNK deal. 

Lands Minister Silvio Schembri, who is politically responsible for the entity that allocated the land to the FKNK, the Lands Authority, has said that he favours the deal and would like it to continue. 

Both he and Dalli argued that the deal had codified an arrangement with the FKNK that had been in place since the 1980s. 

Schembri also noted that the government had similar arrangements in place with other NGOs that would require revision in light of the court judgement. 

FKNK points to deals with 'other NGOs'

That statement pleased the FKNK, which in its statement said that deals made with “other NGOs” had never been made public, unlike the one for l-Aħrax and Miżieb which was published online. 

The two Mellieħa woodland areas had never been padlocked or fenced off, it said, “as are other reserves administered by various other NGOs.” 

One of the NGOs that the FKNK is most likely referring to is Birdlife Malta, which runs reserves in Għadira, Salina and Xemxija. 

Those reserves, which are all EU-designated Special Areas of Conservation and serve as a refuge and breeding areas for hundreds of bird species, are gated and have restricted opening hours. 

A placard during an October 2020 protest highlights the bird killing that the deal would lead to. Photo: Mark Zammit Cordina

Birdlife was one of a number of NGOs that had filed the court challenge that led to the Miżieb and Aħrax woodlands deal being declared null and void.

The FKNK said that it also wished to discuss two other Birdlife-related issues with the prime minister: the latter’s court case against the government concerning a spring hunting season for turtle dove, and the public registration of trapping sites. 

Issues with the latter were causing “a lot of confusion”, the FKNK said as it blamed Birdlife for promoting “deception” about the sites.