Spring hunting season approved despite EU infringement procedure

BirdLife Malta said the Ornis Committee has approved a proposal by the Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FKNK) to open a spring hunting season on Turtle-doves.

The decision was supported by all committee members except for BirdLife Malta, which voted against, while the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) abstained.

BirdLife Malta also said that another FKNK proposal, allowing the trapping of Turtle-doves, was approved with unanimous support, including that of ERA, while BirdLife Malta stood as the only opposing vote.

Meanwhile, a proposal by BirdLife Malta to establish a no-hunting buffer zone of 200 metres around schools in Malta and Gozo failed to gain traction. The proposal received only BirdLife Malta's vote, while the rest of the committee either voted against or abstained.

The NGO expressed its disappointment, highlighting that other areas such as beaches, main roads, and cemeteries already have similar buffer zones.

"It is unbelievable and disappointing that all those seated at the Ornis table—chosen by the Government of Malta—did not support the inclusion of schools in this list to protect our children," BirdLife Malta said.

The group criticised ERA representative Darrin Stevens for abstaining on the school buffer zone proposal, citing his claim that he needed more time to assess environmental permit implications. BirdLife Malta dismissed this as a delaying tactic, pointing out that the issue had been under discussion for over a year.

Mark Sultana, CEO of BirdLife Malta, strongly condemned the committee's decision-making process. "There has never been any doubt that the way the Ornis Committee is designed, it is biased towards the government’s political will, which today is to please the hunting lobby. What happened in the meeting clearly proves this. Rather than having a scientific advisory body, the government has created a team of ‘Yes Minister’, making this committee an undemocratic and unbalanced entity," he said.

BirdLife Malta is now urging the government not to open the spring hunting season on the vulnerable Turtle-dove, arguing that data provided by the Wild Bird Regulation Unit (WBRU) falsely presented the species as stable, despite evidence of rapid decline in the Central Eastern Flyway.

The organisation also warned that Malta risks facing intensified infringement proceedings from the European Commission, as Turtle-dove hunting is already the subject of an open infringement case, and Turtle-dove trapping had previously been halted in 2011 due to similar legal breaches.

Additionally, BirdLife Malta is calling on the government to override the Ornis Committee's stance by legally establishing the proposed 200-meter buffer zone around schools.

The NGO also reiterated its call for the Ornis Committee to be restructured into a science-based body comprising competent experts, ensuring decisions are guided by solid scientific advice rather than political influence.