Balzan denies past desire to extend hunting as hunters publish 2001 meeting extract

Yes to Spring Hunting Campaign publishes extract of 2001 meeting between Saviour Balzan and European Commission as part of Malta's EU accession negotiations. Balzan calls for full publication of the meeting's minutes.

MediaToday managing editor and 'No to spring hunting campaigner' Saviour Balzan has denied ever working towards extending the hunting seasons and the list of huntable bird species.

Earlier, the Yes to spring hunting campaign published a short extract of the minutes of a negotiations meeting between Maltese representatives, including Balzan, and the European Commission. The meeting was held in July 2001 to discuss the Birds Directive as part of Malta’s EU accession negotiations.

The extract read:

“On the Passer hispaniensis [Spanish sparrow], Mr O’Brian claimed that it is even more difficult to include this in the annex. If in Malta it is a pest, it has to fall under the provisions of article 9.

“Mr Balzan said that this may not be a problem and we can fall in line.

“As a final comment, Mr Balzan said that the autumn migration of the turtle dove and the quail is insignificant, and the removal of these two species would mean the removal of hunting in Malta”.

In a statement, the Yes campaign accused Balzan of proposing that the Spanish Sparrow be added to the list of huntable species on his assumption that the bird could be classified as a pest species.

“The Spanish Sparrow is an all-year resident and protected species on the Maltese islands, and campaigns in Malta are in force that encourage the people to appreciate the presence of this bird in our countryside,” the Yes campaign said. “While the ‘No’ campaign is trying to eliminate the best period of hunting in Malta, as confirmed by Balzan himself during the negotiations, the truth is that the ‘No’ main spokesperson had worked for the complete opposite to prevail.”

The extract published by the Yes campaign
The extract published by the Yes campaign

In a response, Balzan said that the extract must have been leaked by somebody close to the Yes campaign within the office of Agriculture Parliamentary Secretary Roderick Galdes.

“I challenge Galdes to publish all the discussion minutes, and not allow the Yes campaign to pick and choose the extracts that they want published,” Balzan said.

“I never recommended the extension of a hunting season or the list of huntable species,” Balzan said. “During the minutes that the Yes campaign published, we were discussing the technicality of placing the Spanish Sparrow on the agenda.”

He argued that hunters used to hunt the Spanish Sparrow all year round but that, thanks to EU provisions, it is now protected during its breeding season.

“As a government employee, my duty was to express the government’s opinions rather than my own,” Balzan added. “On a personal level, I will continue insisting that the hunting of turtledove and quail in the spring is unsustainable.”