'Turtle dove and quail populations of the least concern' - Yes camp

Kathleen Grima warns that Malta risks becoming an 'extremist society' if the hunting balance is lost through a ban on spring hunting. 

Kathleen Grima addresses a press conference. Photo: Chris Mangion
Kathleen Grima addresses a press conference. Photo: Chris Mangion

The status of turtle dove and quail populations are of the least concern, Yes campaign spokesperson Kathleen Grima said.
When asked whether she was aware of works by European hunters to preserve the turtledove species, Grima said that "one cannot take parts of the truth and turn it into the whole truth". 

She said that turtle dove populations have decreased drastically by around 70% in England, but that their decline is due to changes in their habitats and has got nothing to do with hunting in Malta. She pointed out that turtle dove populations have actually increased in countries like Spain, France and Poland.

"The Yes campaign is about balance based on regulation and respect," Grima told a press conference in San Gwann. "If we lose this balance, we'll risk becoming an extremist society."

She said that debate exists wherever hunting is practiced, and questioned why Malta is the only country where such "draconian" solutions are being put to the vote.

She argues that hunters have had to compromise heavily since Malta’s EU accession.

“Spring hunting got reduced from two months to 20 half-days, while the number of hunt-able species got reduced from 32 to two.”

She once again accused the Spring Hunting Out (SHout) campaign of scaremongering.

“Yesterday, they tried to scare people that hunters will occupy a Natura 2000 site in Pembroke unless the No vote wins, a place used for trapping and not hunting,” Grima said. “The public will still get to enjoy the countryside if the No vote wins.”

She repeated her warning that abrogative referenda could be used to abolish other hobbies in the future, noting that SHout spokesperson Mark Sultana had admitted in a recent televised press conference that “abrogative referenda could be used to decide other things”.

However, Sultana insisted that abrogative referenda cannot be used to abolish other hobbies, sports, and pastimes, including autumn hunting. 

"Abrogative referenda are held to abolish laws, and there are no laws that allow other hobbies to take place, as there is a law that specifically allows for spring hunting," Sultana told MaltaToday. "Laws on other hobbies only exist to regulate them, and not allow them, and therefore abrogative referenda for other hobbies can only be held to deregulate them.

"What I meant in that press conference was that the abrogative referendum tool has existed since the 90s and we have chosen to make use of it to abolish the law that allows for spring hunting." 

Despite the accusations, Grima insisted that she is willing to work side-by-side with SHout to address environmental problems of mutual concern.