BirdLife Malta criticised Labour MP Joe Abela’s intervention in parliament on 10 December during which Mr Abela made “several erroneous claims” about BirdLife regarding the issue of hunting. It said the intervention was meant to attract votes and that several environmental organisations, including Friends of the Earth, Din l-Art Helwa, Nature Trust, GAIA, Light Pollution Awareness Group, the Ramblers Association and Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar also supported BirdLife Malta’s criticism of Mr Abela’s position and expressed solidarity with BirdLife.

During his intervention, BirdLife said, Mr Abela claimed that a BirdLife Malta booklet entitled “A spring guide to reclaiming your countryside” was funded by the European Union when in fact it was funded by BirdLife Malta’s members.

Tolga Temuge, executive director BirdLife Malta said that “when one reads his comments on law enforcement and how hunters are supposedly abused, it makes one wonder whether Mr Abela is living in a country other than Malta, the only country in the EU that still allows spring hunting, has the longest hunting period in Europe, has the highest density of hunters per square kilometre and has only a mere 22 ALE officers to check illegal hunting.”

In reference to a current court case where the defendant is a hunter, Mr Abela made a call for an independent judiciary, claiming that the member of the judiciary seemed to be influenced by BirdLife Malta, the Maltese government and Brussels. It appears, however, that it is Mr Abela himself who has a very strong opinion on the matter and wishes to influence the judiciary accordingly, rather than maintaining his self-professed independent stance, BirdLife Malta said.

BirdLife Malta called on the Labour Party to state whether Mr Abela’s position reflected the official party line on hunting.