The Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FKNK) has called for revisions to the regulations preventing the hunting of ducks and waterfowl.

In an open letter to Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, the FKNK said the majority of promises made by the government and the Malta EU Information Centre had not been kept – for instance, permission had not been given for the trapping of song birds in spring and hunting at sea.

The FKNK also referred to two documents, one produced by the government-appointed task force, entitled “track changes”, and the other compiled by the FKNK and presented to the European Commission which, they said, reflected a realistic, well-suited and enforceable law that conformed to the EU Birds Directive.

The federation said that legal notice 39/07, which replaced legal notice 79/06, reflected nothing that had been agreed upon and suggested in these documents, but reflected only what Birdlife Malta had had “the cheek” to request.

In addition, said the FKNK, the legal notice made Malta the only country in the world where the hunting of ducks and waterfowl from land was prevented. It said this situation was creating chaos in the country and was also a source of suffering for hunters and trappers, making them feel like second-class citizens.

It also said that the EC may be using Malta’s small size to prevent people from benefiting from the rights provided for in the EU’s Birds Directive.

The FKNK said it hoped that the prohibition on duck and waterfowl hunting was “merely a mistake” and that the relative regulations would be amended.

The federation said it hoped that the document it had presented to the government after its 7 March protest would not be shelved and it requested a meeting with the Prime Minister in an effort to find a solution equitable to the police, the government and the thousands of hunters and trappers and their families.