Brussels’s warning on finch trapping ‘too little, too late’ – BirdLife

BirdLife Malta welcomed the European Commission’s formal warning to Malta four days prior to the official opening of a finch trapping season, but deemed the action as being “too little, too late”.

The infringement, opened Thursday by way of a letter of formal notice, is the first in a series of warnings that may lead to the European Court of Justice, in reaction to government’s decision to open a finch trapping season this 20th October 2014.

Describing the European Commission’s warning as being “too weak to have any tangible effect”, BirdLife Malta criticised the Commission’s untimely reluctance to take immediate steps to halt the season, pointing out that this has allowed government to permit new trapping licenses, and the registration of an exaggerated amount of trapping sites to the detriment of Malta’s wild flora and fauna this autumn.

“The season which will open this Monday, is permitted by means of legislation issued in July 2014 following an Ornis Committee decision made in June 2014. BirdLife Malta had alerted the Commission to these developments counteracting the Wild Bird Regulations’ Unit argument tabled at the Ornis Committee that the trapping of wild finches was a justified activity,” executive director Steve Micklewright said.

BirdLife Malta’s Conservation Manager Nicholas Barbara said that while it is clear that the EC does not agree with the argument that finch trapping for recreational purposes is a justified legitimate activity permitted by a derogation from the Birds Directive, no less than 4,600 trappers will be out on some 8,000 sites cleared of vegetation for trapping purposes in the coming weeks.

“Large areas of Maltese countryside have already been evidently cleared, torched or bulldozed over, even within protected Natura 2000 sites, to make way for these installations operating for the next two months.”

The infringement case opened today, does not follow up on an earlier case opened by the European Commission wherein two warnings had been issued in June 2011 and February 2012 respectively.

This move means that at least another two warnings can be formally replied to by government prior to the matter being disputed at the European Court of Justice.  The government has today in fact already notified that it would be challenging the Commission’s warning and would proceed ahead with permitting the season .

“Unfortunately the Commission’s decision not to take Malta straight to the European Court only means that the issue will persist for years allowing the possibility of other finch trapping seasons,” Barbara said.

Steve Micklewright added that there are over 40 MEPs waiting to meet the new European Commissioner, Karmenu Vella, to discuss how Malta allows these abuses to the Birds Directives. “Trapping will be high on the agenda.”