FKNK accuses government’s consultant of ‘anti-trapping agenda’

Hunters' Federation FKNK has accused government's consultant on trapping of have a "personal agenda" against live-capturing:

"Advice, which has led government to refrain from opening this autumn's trapping season for turtle dove and quail in an arbitrary manner and with no scientific basis or justification," secretary-general Lino Farrugia said. 

"Advice, which has probably also instigated Government's decision not to open this autumn's trapping season for the golden plover, yet again on a lame illogical excuse based on sub-species identification since the same criterion was not applied to the hunting (shooting/killing) of the same specimen both locally as well as in several other Member States." 

Farrugia added the same applies to the turtle dove and the quail.

Farrugia said it would be useless for FKNK to ask government who its advisor is, even though it "would be in its full right to ask government to consult the genuine advice, also through the numerous Reports, scientific Studies and other documentation, given by the FKNK on behalf of its thousands of trapper-members."

Farrugia added its members are always the only ones on the receiving end of incorrect application of derogations and subsequent government decisions. 

These trappers, Farrugia said, see government's decision not to open trapping season this year, "for the first year since time immemorial as a capricious excuse".

Farrugia said government has tried to insinuate the reason for not opening the season was due to the legal proceedings initiated by the Commission against Malta last June for the incorrect application of derogations. 

Referring to a report, which featured yesterday on timesofmalta.com, FKNK said the EU's Environment Commissioner reply was a copy-and-paste reply for a letter the same Commission had sent to the FKNK in September 2011, and which reply had later been used by the hunting federation lat month during a press conference.

"While confirming other countries do apply derogations to permit trapping, Mr. Potocnik did not refer to any legal action that the Commission was planning to institute against a number of Member States over trapping, but that such action would be taken against those countries that apply derogations incorrectly," Farrugia said.

He went on to say that it's not true that, "according to EU rules, trapping had to be completely outlawed in Malta by the end of 2008..". 

"The facts are that live-finch trapping had to be suspended by the end of 2008 pending Studies which had to be undertaken by the Malta Ornis Committee which would determine how many finches could eventually be caught from the wild to sustain genetic-diversity in captive kept finches," Farrugia said.

"Nothing was negotiated or agreed upon with reference to birds that could also be legally shot and killed, as in the case of the scenario at present."

FKNK accused the newspaper of publishing "at times incorrect, at others twisted interpretation of the Commissioner's reply".

Farrugia said the reporter was not correct when reporting that "..in 2008, the government decided to apply a derogation allowing the trapping of four bird species (turtle dove, quail, golden plover and song thrush)." 

"Government had in fact applied such derogation every autumn since Malta's EU Membership in 2004 and ever since up to 2010," FKNK said. 

"The problem was that on the seven consecutive occasions the derogation was applied in an incorrect manner (in conjunction with four years - 2004 to 2007 - of the application of other incorrect derogations to permit spring hunting and trapping). 

"11 derogations regarding hunting and trapping applied incorrectly!"

FKNK reiterated its commitment to its trapper-members, saying every effort will be made so that live-bird capturing and the socio-cultural tradition of live-finch capturing, will be re-established in Malta "on a solid and legal foundation within the boundaries of sustainability and wise use of renewable natural resources and within the parameters and in full respect of EU Nature Directives".