Steve Micklewright a British National heading Birdlife Malta states: “When a bird is legally protected, we oppose its hunting and trapping”. Apart from also opposing matters disconnected from protecting protected birds, such as the alleged occupation of the countryside, illegal structures, and attempting to ban hunting in all Natura 2000 sites, Birdlife Malta also vehemently oppose legal spring hunting of two unprotected species and are desperately trying to influence politicians and the electorate to support their attempt to undermine legal hunting. Their augment other than the justified opposition to shooting protected species is that it is not “prudent” for hunters to hunt during spring since birds are then breeding.
What Steven Micklewright does not mention when he readily criticizes Malta’s Government for exercising its legal rights, is what the UK government, under derogation from the Birds directive permits. Apart from derogation under General license for the eradication of 14 pest species 365 days a year, the UK government according to the most recent EU reports on UK derogations,http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/knowledge/rep_birds/docs/derogation_report_2008.pdfapart from hundreds of derogations related to the destruction or disturbance of protected and unprotected birds, applies the following under derogation::
Out of 2247 derogations in 2007 and 1747 in 2008 the most relevant to spring and to the reproduction of birds is the taking of eggs. 44,900 in 2007 and 114,884 in 2008 to be precise. A few of these were taken to eradicate pest species, but the majority namely 28,555 in 2007 and 104,924 in 2008 were taken for human consumption from the Black Headed Gull, a legally protected bird that may not be hunted, Also in the name of tradition, the inhabitants of Port Ness in the Outer Hebrides, under yet another derogation applied annually on a protected bird, are allowed to kill 2,000 Gannets for human consumption. According to the same EU report none of the UK derogations granted “seem to be in conflict with the provisions of the Birds Directive”.
Mr Micklewright, who is employed on a local crusade to jeopardize legal hunting, has not, to anyone’s knowledge, stirred the British Public or attempted to hijack any British election in order to show his opposition to Britain’s numerous derogations that effect legally protected birds. We therefore presume he endorses the UK shooting of certain species in spring and also the eating of legally protected Gulls eggs and Gannets.
Considering he expects the Maltese to think of him as some kind of ornithological expert here to shame government and the gun bearing masses, could he be kind enough to inform both the knowledgeable and the gullible what makes his approach to a derogation that is legally applied by the Maltese government on two legally hunted species different to the legal egg-taking in the UK? Both being practiced in spring should be of equal concern to a man who considers himself the best person who came forward for the job, since being the best should mean spectacular achievements elsewhere.
If his reply is that he has to justify his salary I would humbly accept his explanation. However If he intends replying that the birds shot under derogation are of “conservation concern”, Malta’s Government, the Opposition, the European Courts and Malta’s hunters are not convinced by the fabrications he and his predecessors have repeated ad nauseam. As for the Commission, it approves of the current framework legislation that permits spring hunting and consequently dismisses Birdlife’s nonsense.
Having no tangible proof to substantiate any of Birdlife’s “scientific” arguments it is not surprising that under his directorship the drive to influence politicians and to incite the public to turn against hunters is the only option left for his and BirdLife’s survival.
Nyal Xuereb
Gharghur,