The Cabinet yesterday approved the opening of spring hunting next month but has also approved new, hefty fines and penalties for those caught abusing of hunting laws, Rural Affairs and Environment Minister George Pullicino said at a press conference held in the wake of yesterday’s controversial Ornis Committee meeting yesterday.
Mr Pullicino, flanked by new Ornis Committee chairman Louis Cilia, said the committee had recommended a set of dates for spring’s open season and a final decision would be made once the recommendations were fully evaluated.
Mr Pullicino said the Ornis Committee had recommended an opening of spring hunting on quail from 1 April to 10 May, while the season for turtledoves has been recommended to open on 10 April and to close on 20 May.
BirdLife Malta, which is represented by two members on the Ornis Committee, walked out in the middle of yesterday’s meeting in outrage over the course the meeting had taken and as preordained by the meeting’s agenda.
Emerging from yesterday’s meeting, BirdLife Malta president Joseph Mangion labelled the proceedings a “farce” and “scandal”, adding that the decision of a supposedly independent consultative group has been overridden by the government.
“This has gone beyond issues of conservation and has now become a political game,” he added.
He described the government’s stance as nothing more than the employment of delaying tactics, since the issue could take years to be resolved at European level.
“We will be keeping Brussels informed on developments, but once again Malta’s image will inevitably be tarnished by the government’s appeasement of hunters and political complexities.”
Commenting that “all this noise has been about just two species,” Mr Pullicino, meanwhile, stressed the open season only applies to quail and turtledoves, neither of which are protected and which are not in danger of extinction.
He also stressed the season as recommended by the Ornis Committee is significantly shorter than that of 25 March to 22 May as applied in previous years.
Mr Pullicino explained how the process of remedial action available to the European Commission, which has promised to come down hard on Malta should it allow spring hunting once again this year in what it would consider a breach of the EU’s birds directive for the fourth year running, would take some time to be incurred, if at all applicable.
Punitive fines would only result should Malta fail to comply with a decision by the European Courts of Justice, the last of three steps in infringement proceedings, while so far, the EC has only taken the first step and issued a letter of formal notice.
The EC is currently awaiting the government’s reply to the letter. In its reply, the government will have to justify its position in favour of the retention of spring hunting, and scientifically prove there is no alternative for Malta’s hunters. The EC is of the opinion that autumn hunting provides such a suitable alternative.
The government’s reply is to be based on the results of a study on bird migrations being carried out by “a reputable institution” commissioned. The study, Mr Pullicino said, is still in progress.
But the fact that the government had already decided its position on spring hunting without such scientific evidence in hand, Mr Mangion commented, shows it has “pre-empted the study and will attempt to manipulate its results.”
The fact that the Cabinet had decided to give spring hunting the green light this morning, in advance of yesterday afternoon’s Ornis meeting is, meanwhile, indicative the meeting’s recommendations were a foregone conclusion and that all that remained to be decided were the dates it was to recommend.
Mr Pullicino reiterated that come what may, “the government is ready to defend its position in court”.
He stressed that by allowing spring hunting this year, the government was fulfilling its political mandate for sustainable hunting, as given by the people in both the EU accession referendum and the last general election.
“Our position has been clear since before the last election. We are not changing the goalposts,” he commented, “we are keeping them right where they are.”
He added that if the government had not had its political mandate to fulfil, and if the Ornis Committee had made different recommendations yesterday, the government might very well have reached another verdict on spring hunting.
“The government is committed to defend legal hunting, while also cracking down on illegal hunting.”
According to amendments to the penal clauses published by the ministry yesterday, fines for “aggravated offences” have effectively been doubled, while those practising illegal hunting will also face prison sentences and will have their hunting and firearms licences suspended.
Aggravated offences include attempts to hunt, take or destroy bird nests; hunting at sea within three kilometres from the coast; hunting and trapping at bird sanctuaries; hunting of protected species; hunting during the closed season or within two hours before sunrise and after sunset, and hunting from beaches.
For first offences, all fines have been doubled to not less than Lm100 and not more than Lm2,000 plus the suspension of hunting and firearms permits for between one and three years.
Penalties have become even stiffer for repeat offenders, who will be slapped with fines of between Lm200 and Lm4,000 and a jail term of between two months and two years. The courts will also order the permanent revocation of the violator’s hunting and firearms licences. Those found hunting or trapping birds without a licence will suffer the same penalties as repeat offenders.
Those caught hunting after their licence has been revoked, meanwhile, will be fined a minimum of Lm3,000 and up to Lm6,000. Such individuals will also serve a prison term of at least one year but of not more than two.