The Rural Affairs and the Environment Ministry yesterday announced the setting up of the committee that will take care of affairs related to hunting and bird conservation. The committee, ORNIS, was founded under the Conservation of Wild Birds Regulations, 2006.

The ORNIS committee will be chaired by Tonio Azzopardi and includes Sharon Cassar, Mario Vassallo and Dione Mifsud. The Federation of Hunters and Trappers and Birdlife Malta will field two representatives respectively while Avifauna expert Joe Sultana and hunting expert Aldo E. Azzopardi will also sit in the committee together with the director for environment protection within the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA).

The committee has been appointed for a year.