Hunters’ federation writes to Environment Commissioner, insists Ornis Committee sends 'anti-trapping' information

The hunters' federation FKNK has taken its complaints directly to the EU's Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik, after the European Commission insisted that Malta had incorrectly applied the 12th derogation from the Birds Directive.

The Commission has released a Letter of Reasoned Opinion with regards to the live-capture with traditional clap-nets - trapping - in autumn and winter of the common quail (summien), song thrush (malvizz), golden plover (pluvier) and turtle dove (gamiem).

In February the Commission asked Malta to improve the protection of birds that pass over its islands in the autumn. Since Malta joined the EU in 2004 it has allowed the autumn trapping of the four species of birds protected by EU laws.

The Commission held that Malta failed to submit sufficient evidence to prove that its trapping derogations respected all the necessary conditions of the Directive and in particular, the rules relating to ensuring only small numbers of birds are captured; selective targeting of the species concerned by the derogation, and strict supervision of trapping conditions.

"We wrote to the Commissioner on how these conditions could be satisfied," FKNK said in a statement.

"The letter detailed other factual local situations with regards to how trapped birds are never for consumption, the number of existing trapping sites and Natura 2000 sites."

FKNK said that it had to write directly to Commissioner Potočnik itself to make sure that all of its information reaches the European Commission.

"We are informed that all of the material which we collect and pass on to the Ornis Committee never reaches the Commission. This means that the Commission only gets information that is anti-hunting and anti-trapping," FKNK said.