Labour Deputy Leader Dr Toni Abela announced he is against spring hunting.

Speaking on Andrew Azzopardi's weekly programme on radio 'Ghandi xi nghid', Dr Abela said he has long worked in favour of the environment such as in his opposition to the Ta' Hagrat development. He referred to a recent article he wrote entitled 'Nammira, mhux nimmira' and said he is against hunting in Spring although he approved the Labour Party electoral manifesto which allows just two weeks in all in Spring, which can be suspended if there are abuses. 

However, insistently and repeatedly asked by Dr Azzopardi to state how will he vote in the referendum, Dr Abela never gave a straight answer. The most he allowed himself to say was he would have liked to be against Spring hunting. However he ruled out being part of any coalition against Spring hunting.

He added that this is his personal opinion and that, besides himself, there are other Labour MPs who will be voting against spring hunting, although the opinion polls seem to indicate a Yes vote will win.

What irks him, he added, is that while Malta, being more Catholic than the Pope, has introduced the referendum bill on the signing of a petition, and the outcome of the April referendum will be binding, nothing of the sort happens elsewhere in Europe where hunting is still permitted. Ideally, this should be a pan-European law.