This publishing house declared its stance in favour of abolishing Spring hunting as soon as the referendum was announced and we are obviously disappointed at the result which was returned by the electorate yesterday.

We live in a democratic society where we respect the rule of law. The people have spoken and that choice is to be respected.  But this does not, in any way, alter the stance we have taken. We still believe that hunting birds who are migrating north to replenish their numbers is unsustainable. We still also believe that it is morally wrong. We still believe that a golden opportunity has been lost to wrest the sway which the hunting lobby holds over Malta’s two main political parties. In short, we are sticking to our principles.

While we continue to express dismay that the current practice will continue, we also recognise that progress has been registered. There has been a shift. Perhaps the one thing that has changed the most is that hunters know that they are walking on thin ice. They won by the narrowest of margins and the first thing that the Prime Minister said that they were being given one final chance. He also said that he would find no problem at all in shutting down the Spring hunting season if flagrant illegalities take place. We hope that he will stick to his word.

It has to be said that the politicians did influence the outcome. Both leaders expressed that they were in favour of retention of the derogation. The Prime Minister spoke about it on more than one occasion whereas Simon Busuttil made only one single declaration in the campaign. If the political leaders had really wanted to allow a free referendum to take place, they would not have given their backing to the Yes camp, as they did.

What remains to be seen, however, is if we end up with collective egg on our faces. The referendum result was what it was – a reflection of the country’s sentiment. If hunters now go out and abuse what the country has decided, the Prime Minister and the PN leader will both have come down on the wrong side of history. Just as the anti-hunting lobby expects the Spring season to be closed if abused of, we do too. Let’s be frank, the police do not have the means to effectively police Spring hunting and it will be a tall order for them to keep track of what is going on. That, coupled with the policy of self reporting of quarry, will make it very easy for abuse to be kept under the lid.

The people have spoken, but we believe that we will have collective regret for this day, sometime down the line. In a perverse way, perhaps, the referendum showed that the environment is being placed high on the agenda. Although the two camps were diametrically opposed in their ways of thinking, 75% of people thought it was important enough to cast their vote on the issue. Perhaps, at least, the subject will begin to receive the attention that it deserves.