BirdLife reiterates call to authorities as trapping season opens

BirdLife Malta has reiterates its call on the authorities to ensure that environmental law enforcement remains a priority and to take the necessary actions against those who are caught breaking regulations, calling the Malta Police Force and its Administrative Law Enforcement (ALE) unit in particular.

BirdLife Malta’s statement came as today marks the opening of the bird trapping season for 2016, prompting the eNGO to remind the government that “it is obliged to ensure strict enforcement of the derogation with a total of seven police patrolling out in the countryside per 1,000 licences.”

BirdLife Malta was referring to two derogations applied to the European Commission, one for the trapping of seven finch species, namely Linnets, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Hawfinch, Serin, Chaffinch and Siskin, and the other for the trapping of Golden Plover and Song Thrush. The hunting of these birds is normally banned under the European Birds’ Directive, BirdLife Malta said.

BirdLife lamented over the fact that the government has decided to open the season despite the fact that Malta is facing legal action by the European Commission over the former derogation.

In September 2015 the European Commission referred Malta to the European Court of Justice for its decision to allow finch trapping as of 2014. Malta was allowed a transitional arrangement in the EU Accession Treaty to phase out finch trapping, taking into account the time required to establish a captive breeding programme. This transitional arrangement expired in 2008.

“Since 13 October, when BirdLife Malta held its Valletta press conference outlining the illegalities observed since the start of this year’s autumn hunting season, BirdLife Malta became aware of at least another 14 protected birds that were shot at, four of which had to be euthanised due to their injuries. The rest, except for one which luckily survived its injuries, were killed in the field,” BirdLife Malta added.

BirdLife Malta also said that all trapping sites legally registered to operate are authorised by the Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU). “BirdLife Malta has over the years requested several times the location of sites but this data was not shared, quoting data protection and privacy issues,” the eNGO said, adding that it had launched an official complaint to the Commissioner for Data Protection who concluded that BirdLife Malta had the right to request this information, but the task would prove too laborious for WBRU to execute.

“BirdLife Malta has appealing the Commissioner’s decision the decision in the light of the fact that the data, irrespective of the effort required, can and should be made publicly available. It is in the public’s interest to know which areas are being used for trapping in order to help curtail abuse,” it said.

The bird trapping season will remain open until 31st December.