The hunters’ and trappers’ federation, FKNK, has turned on the government, accusing it of again trying to deceive hunters and trappers by using the unusual method of a press release from the Department of Information being sent to hunters and trappers at home.
The release, sent by the environment ministry, gives the reasons “or, rather, ‘pretexts’” as the FKNK put it, which, according to the government have led to the present situation. One of the reasons seems to imply that the FKNK is somehow to blame for figures supplied to the European Commission, on which the commission based its decision to proceed against Malta in the European court of justice.
The FKNK denied that it, or any hunters or trappers, ever supplied figures to the EC. Indeed, the government had seen fit to exclude the FKNK totally from EU membership talks, and up until today the government had always refused any assistance the FKNK had offered. What was more, the government had relied on persons known to be against hunting, who together with others of the same opinion, had drawn up the reports the commission wanted.
These reports were sent four years late, which was one of the reasons for the EC taking this drastic measure, having had enough of the government’s inefficiency (ignoring the condition stating that the government had to send a report each year), the FKNK charged.
The FKNK wondered why it was a DOI news release that was sent to the homes of its members, instead of the usual misleading Nationalist Party propaganda. It added no hunter or trapper would now believe any letter before a general election, coming from the same source which, before the 2003 election and the EU membership referendum, had assured them that nothing would change.
What the government should do, the FKNK said, was ensure justice for the thousands of hunters and trappers and their families, who feel betrayed by the letter sent to them by the Prime Minister and the information sent by MIC, and which the European Commission had never denied at the time.
The environment ministry said, in reply to a statement, that it could not understand how the FKNK could say that the government wanted to deceive hunters and trappers again.
The EC statement and that of the Department of Information were sent to hunters and trappers in all responsibility, with the aim of letting everyone know the facts as they were, without any deceit as the FKNK was alleging.
Contrary to what the FKNK was saying, the ministry added, the government had sent the EC reports every year, as confirmed by the fact that every year the government applied for the necessary derogation under the Birds Directive.
The ministry said the government had submitted data collated from the carnet de chasse, which was based on the catches reported by hunters and trappers. The European court would be giving every opportunity to the government to present its reasons and any defence necessary, and the government would defend the case to the end. But it would accept whatever the European court decided.
The ministry said the FKNK had been invited to make its case during the procedures in court, even if possible, with the assistance of the federation of European hunters’ associations, FACE.