From Mr H. Fenech Azzopardi
Spring hunting is fast approaching and, once again, Birdlife Malta president Joseph Mangion has started his now very old campaign to put pressure on the government by using tricks and half-truths to make his point.
We are not arguing illegal hunting here. It has been accepted by the FKNK, Birdlife and the majority of hunters that gone are the days of shooting at anything that flies. Both organisations are contributing towards this aim, but it will take time for the illegal hunting problem to be resolved, although I must say we have come along way, we are on the right track.
The government made it amply clear before the referendum that the spring hunting of turtle doves and quails and the trapping of limited bird species will continue to be allowed, subject to an EU derogation. Birdlife, and for that matter the EU, did not contest this point and the hunters expect that such an agreement will now be honoured by both parties.
The government has said that it will defend its stand in the European court, and in so doing will be honouring a commitment with the hunters before the referendum. This is not a matter of public mandate. The majority of the public are against illegal hunting and not the hunting of only two species.
Where was Mr Mangion before the referendum? The answer is very simple but hard to swallow. He kept a very low profile because he was in favour of Malta joining the EU. He knew quite well that the government at that time required every vote possible to obtain a Yes vote (including those of the hunters). He never mentioned that the government did not have a mandate from the public.
The moment Malta joined the EU, Mr Mangion started a continuous campaign with all the means at his disposal – even if these tend to be inaccurate, as explained above. Things have to take their course and Mr Mangion should be patient enough to:
Wait for the EU to take the Malta government to the European court.
Wait for the Maltese government to defend its case.
Wait for the court’s decision.
Mr Mangion also jumped to the conclusion that both the Nationalist Party and the Malta Labour Party are making promises to the hunting fraternity to obtain their votes. This is absolute rubbish. The parties are both promising what has already been promised before the referendum, years back when the elections were not even being contemplated. On the contrary, I will be very surprised and let down if the Nationalist Party does not honour the commitment it made before the referendum.
Finally, I would like to remind Mr Mangion that, according to the latest survey carried out by an independent official organisation, the number of turtledoves and quails caught during spring hunting is negligible and nowhere near the millions mentioned by Birdlife. Even if all the doves and quails that fly over Malta are hunted (which is not the case) the end result would not affect the breeding and sustainability of the species.
In the meantime, I tell my colleagues on the Ornis Committee to continue working together to
minimise and, if possible, eradicate illegal hunting once and for all.
Henry Fenech Azzopardi
SLIEMA