BirdLife Malta yesterday criticised the hunters’ federation FKNK on its latest position paper, saying the group’s intention was to strip the public of its right to have its voice heard on the hunting issue by attempting to relegate the Ornis Committee to an administrative role with no influence on decisions on hunting regulations.

Moreover, it claimed, FKNK was attempting to drag Malta back by refusing to abide by national laws and EU regulations that the Maltese population gave the government a mandate to observe.

Prior to the Ornis committee meeting that will be held today, the demands laid out in FKNK’s document entitled Proposals of FKNK for the attention of Ornis Committee (Malta) before these are passed on to Minister Pullicino defy both EU and national laws on hunting and trapping.

BirdLife described as “absurd” FKNK’s suggestion that their appointed marshals would report illegal activities directly to the FKNK board that may, at its own discretion, decide to pass the report to the police. A situation where it would be at the discretion of the FKNK to decide what constitutes an illegal activity to be reported to law enforcement units is unacceptable and smacks of anarchy, BirdLife said.

In its position paper, FKNK’s management went as far as demanding that trapping should continue to be allowed after the end of 2008. Malta negotiated in advance of its EU accession a “transition period”, during which Malta would be phasing out trapping by the end of 2008. FKNK is suggesting that the hunting and trapping seasons should be reinstated as they were before Malta joined the EU.