[WATCH] BirdLife Malta call on European Commission to take action against opening of trapping season

BirdLife Malta has appealed to the European Commission to take action in response to the Maltese government’s opening of trapping season.

In a press conference on Monday, one day after government announced it will derogate from the EU’s ban on bird trapping, BirdLife Malta slammed Robert Abela for acting less as a Prime Minister and more as a defence lawyer for hunters and poachers. Just over a month ago, the EU Court said Malta's "research derogation" on trapping seven finch species was illegal.

“Dr Abela’s only concern is defending his own partisan and political interest,” the NGO’s president, Darryl Grima told the media. Grima further stated that government’s decisions should be based on what’s right.

Grima said that the “farsical” legal notice was more evidence of Abela’s disregard for the environment, as he compared it with Abela’s intention to change the Villa Rosa local plan to accommodate development and continue wreaking havoc on the country’s environment. 

“Malta’s environment is under seige,” he stated. Addressing the Prime Minister, Grima said that BirdLife will not bow its head to this decision, saying, “This decision has emboldened us to fight for what’s right.”

Grima called on the public to form a coalition in favour of the environment, as he also appealed to politicians on all sides to speak up against this illegality.

Meanwhile, BirdLife’s head of conservation, Nicholas Barbara explained that Sunday’s legal notice is nearly identical to the legal notice that was struck down by the EU Court of Justice.

Barbara explained that the only justification made by government in its legal notice is that there is no other way to conduct research on finches.

Barbara stated that this is not the case, and that there are other ways to conduct such research without risking thousands of birds being kept illegally.

‘Poaching under PM’s watch’

The Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) also slammed the government decision, labelling it an illegal licence-against-votes-scheme.

“Robert Abela and many members of his Cabinet have a long history of protecting and appeasing trappers and poachers to get their votes. Their latest step shows that they are not only willing to violate EU law and risk high fines but also sacrifice the concept of independent science for a group of hobbyists who seem have the government in a sweatbox,” said CABS president Karl-Heinz Kreutzer.

Kreutzer accused Gozo minister Clint Camilleri and its ministry of knowingly lying about the scientific value of the so-called research-programme.

“This project will never produce any relevant results as it was never designed to collect data. It is a pseudo-science programme with the sole aim of helping trappers to continue with their selfish passion and replenish their aviaries with protected birds,” Kreutzer said.
CABS added that many trappers already put out their nets before the opening of the season was announced by the government on Sunday.

“In the last two weeks our teams, together with the police have filmed and caught seven bird trappers red-handed.

“The EPU, who were notified by us, confiscated a total of 12 sets of clap-nets and 57 live birds who were either used as decoys or freshly caught,” said CABS Wildlife Crime Officer Fiona Burrows.

The confiscated birds were mostly finches but also included Blackbirds, Song thrushes and two Robins which were discovered on a rooftop aviary near Luqa.

According to CABS, one poacher had built a huge trapping installation inside the Girgenti Bird Sanctuary less than 100 metres away from Girgenti Palace – an official residence of the Prime Minister of Malta.

The man was apprehended on site and his trapping gear as well as numerous live birds were confiscated. He will face court for trapping during the closed season as well as for poaching inside a designated bird sanctuary where all hunting and trapping is forbidden.