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The birds Directive has allowed Malta to apply an exemption on an EU ban on Spring hunting. March this year, the Commission is planning to send a monitoring mission to Malta to ascertain whether the exemption, better known as a temporary derogation, is being applied to the word.
They are in for a big surprise.
They will find that hunting and poaching is widespread and that shooting of all migratory birds is taking place. The commitment that Malta will only allow shooting in restricted numbers of turtle doves and quail is also not being kept.
The monitoring mission is guaranteed to find another big surprise. It will soon discover that bird trapping for finches and turtle doves is far away from the agreement brokered with the Commission.
The Ministry for Rural Affairs and Environment is sure to find an edgy Commission, unwilling to show the European Parliament that it has taken little or no action on Malta’s infringements.
The Commission could then proceed to lift the derogation that is technically temporary. Birdlife Malta, who have been at the forefront of the campaign for a ban on spring hunting, will be the first to applaud such a measure. The move would add more problems to the government and the hunting and trapping fraternity.
Though the last European parliamentary elections saw little support for the hunters’ candidate, this may not be the case if Spring hunting and trapping are halted following pressure for Brussels.
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