FKNK call on trappers not to attend BirdLife meetings

FKNK demands right to trap birds instead of breeding captive finches as mandated by EU law.

8 February 2011, 12:00am
by Matthew Vella

1 min read

Hunters’ federation (FKNK) secretary-general Lino Farrugia has told trappers not to attend local council meetings addressed by BirdLife Malta officials on the creation of captive breeding programmes.

The programmes were mandated by the European Union as party of the total ban on finch-trapping that began in 2009, as according to the Birds Directive, the law that regulates all hunting and trapping in the EU.

BirdLife’s campaign to institute the captive breeding programme was financed by €175,000 in EU funds, Farrugia said, who warned trappers that their collaboration would only increase funds for BLM.

“BirdLife’s campaign is coming to an end, and it seems like they will not get any more money from government’s end if they have less contact with trappers,” Farrugia said.

The FKNK said it was exhorting trappers not to attend the meetings because they would be generating revenue for BirdLife and hammering the final nails in the coffin of bird trapping.

Matthew Vella, a freelance journalist at MaltaToday, was formerly executive editor at Malt...

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@Mr Ramon Casha et al, here's to that coffin exhumation, enjoy the reading; Saturday, 7th March 2009 Severe conditions for continuance of trapping Nicoletta Flessati, press officer, European Commission, Representation in Malta, Ta' Xbiex With reference to the reports of February 24 (timesofmalta.com) and February 25 in The Times about a poster campaign by the Federation of Hunters, Trappers and Conservationists and the subsequent appearance of the posters on billboards in Malta, the European Commission Representation in Malta wishes to clarify the position concerning bird trapping in Malta and in other member states of the European Union. Under the Accession Treaty, trapping of certain bird species (seven species of finches) was permitted until the end of December 2008. The Accession Treaty also set out a number of "milestones" for the Maltese authorities to undertake, including the registration of trapping sites, the establishment of a breeding programme and an assessment of its effectiveness. Following the expiry of this period under the Treaty, Malta can, along with all other member states, apply a derogation to permit trapping to continue. Trapping of birds is permitted only in exceptional circumstances, where it complies with the strict conditions set out in the Birds Directive. Trapping of only a small number of certain birds is allowed under strictly supervised conditions and on a selective basis, as set out under article 9(1)(c) of the directive. The member states referred to on the posters have all sought to permit trapping in accordance with those requirements. Under the Birds Directive, member states permitting trapping under article 9(1)(c) are obliged to provide evidence to the Commission on an annual basis to show that all the conditions are being met. In cases where the evidence shows that a breach has occurred, the Commission has taken, and will continue to take, legal action to address this breach. Regards

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I'm a 62 year old man and I used to go brid trapping every year until it was banned in 2009. It was a hobby and I used to pass many hours feeding, cleaning, listining to their lovely singing and nursing them when cecessary. I still have a dozen birds at home but when the time comes to vote in the next election I will surly will not vote for this government becaused they promisec us that we will continue with our hobby of bird trapping and it seems that they lied to us all. So no more votes from me.

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"...and hammering the final nails in the coffin of bird trapping." You'd have to exhume that coffin first. It's been buried already.