The Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FKNK) has filed a judicial protest against Birdlife Malta over the eNGOs call to end a derogation to allow finch trapping for scientific research.
Birdlife Malta had filed a judicial protest against the Minister for Gozo, the Minister for the Environment, the Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU) and the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA), demanding that Malta’s law courts revoke the new framework law “allowing over 2,500 trappers to practice illegal finch trapping under the guise of a scientific ‘research’ project.”
The FKNK is strongly objecting to Birldlife’s demand for the repeal of the legal framework and declares that this is “the umpteenth attack targeting trappers and hunters through manipulative and destructive outbreaks.”
“Ironically BirdLife Malta is objecting to the research project when the same NGO welcomes within its fold around 20 bird-ringers who throughout the year, use the same methods and practices indicated in the legal framework in question,” the FKNK said.
In a press statement, the FKNK claimed that “it is clear that Birdlife Malta is acting as being above the law.”
The NGO also noted that with regard to the allegations of illegalities that are being spread by Birdlife Malta, the FKNK cannot fail to point out that it has always condemned any illegality and warned many times its members to comply with the legal regulations.
However, as happens in every other sector of life and society, no legal activity should ever be abolished and/or a collective punishment imposed on all, without any distinction, because of an illegality committed by an individual(s), it said.
FKNK also denied claims that thousands of birds are being caught during the season and are not being released back into the wild.
“Such a statement is a manipulation of the truth and further dissemination of misleading and incorrect information,” FKNK said.
“Through the present protest the FKNK is formally requesting Birdlife Malta to stop these maneuvers based on unfounded premises and half-truths and to refrain from pursuing its agenda against trappers and hunters and this because the framework allowing derogation for scientific research on the seven species of finches is a regular one and in line with the European "Birds" Directive, even if against the wishes of BirdLife Malta itself, it said.