Hunting minister’s powers to usurp bird conservation remit in new law

The government is planning to amalgamate all laws concerning hunting and bird trapping in one single Act that will extricate wildlife protection from the Environment and Protection Act.

The Hunting and Capturing of Wild Birds and Wild Rabbit Act will fall under the purview of the minister responsible for the hunting and capturing of wild birds and wild rabbit, which is currently Gozo minister Clint Camilleri.

Despite all matters concerning hunting fall under the minister responsible for environmental protection, as laid down by the European Union’s Birds Directive, the over-arching law regulating hunting, the government plans to hive off all new hunting rules under a specifically designated ‘hunting minister’.

The entire law is designed to move all subsidiary legislations related to birds from under the Environment Protection Act into the Hunting and Capturing of Wild Birds and Wild Rabbit Act.

This will see bird conservation and protection removed from under the Environment Act, by eliminating the role of the Environment and Resources Authority and further solidifying the regulatory authority of the Wild Birds Regulation Unit, a department that includes former members of the hunting fraternity FKNK.

All subsidiary legislation on conservation of wild birds falls will not also be designated under a law entirely concerned with hunting and trapping, as well as bird sanctuaries and nature re-serves, which will fall under the WBRU.

The law will allow the minister responsible for hunting to make regulations “after consultation” with the environment minister, and only after draft rules are issued for public consultation four weeks before.

This will not apply to regulations “which the minister declares to be urgent”.

Indeed, all provisions related to hunting and trapping will no longer be within the remit of the environment ministry, and the said minister will only need to be informed when decisions are taken by such entities as the Ornis Committee, the body of hunting lobbies and bird conservationists that consults on the hunting and trapping seasons.