Hunting referendum one year on: the fine line between victory and defeat

A year has passed since the electorate was called upon to decide whether spring hunting should be abolished once and for all but the hunters’ razor-thin victory is still reverberating

The No campaign's near victory dealt a blow to the political influence of the hunting lobby
The No campaign's near victory dealt a blow to the political influence of the hunting lobby
Lawyer Kathleen Grima projected a softer image for the hunting lobby during last year's referendum
Lawyer Kathleen Grima projected a softer image for the hunting lobby during last year's referendum
The veteran FKNK leader Lino Farrugia made a smart move not to appear as the face of the hunting campaign, allowing for lawyer Kathleen Grima to take centre stage
The veteran FKNK leader Lino Farrugia made a smart move not to appear as the face of the hunting campaign, allowing for lawyer Kathleen Grima to take centre stage

On 11 April, 2015, Malta was just 2,000 votes short of abrogating spring hunting, which both major parties wanted to maintain.  

The narrow loss was a bitter defeat for environmentalists and activists who campaigned for the abolition of hunting, yet it signalled a new awakening within civil society and sent a warning sign to the political establishment. 

For a few weeks after the referendum, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat cut the spring hunting season short following reports of illegal hunting. 

Then came the largest ever environmental protest organised by civil society led by Front Harsien ODZ which forced government into partially backtracking by downscaling the take up of ODZ land in Zonqor for a private educational institution, from 90,000 to 18,000 square metres. 

Following the referendum the balance tipped on the side of the environmentalists when it came to public mobilisation and sympathy, but ultimately decisions are still taken by a political establishment which cannot ignore the hunting lobby’s victory and its often inflated electoral muscle.

Despite their exuberance at their victory, the slim nature of the hunters’ victory dealt a blow to the political influence of the hunting lobby. 

In fact rather than having a carte blanche, hunters have more than ever before found themselves at the mercy of Joseph Muscat and his political calculations. 

Ultimately, the responsibility of whether to actually open the spring season or not still remains in the hands of the government.

The result also conditioned Muscat, who is under increased pressure from civil society and the wider electorate to ensure that flagrant abuse is no longer tolerated as it was in the past. 

In the aftermath of the result, Muscat realised that his significant incursions during the referendum campaign helped secure the ‘yes’ victory. 

This in turn heaped more pressure on Muscat as he runs the risk of losing the trust of a substantial part of his electorate, which despises the antics and arrogance the hunting lobby is often associated with, if he fails to stop abuse. 

Muscat’s decisive action to cut the season short in 2015 after hunters shot down a kestrel in the grounds of a private school has also set a precedent. 

At the first sign of “flagrant” abuse, Muscat will now be expected to take similar action and stop the season. Otherwise he will be once again accused of being held to ransom by the hunting lobby. 

A second referendum?

BirdLife Malta has not ruled out organising a second referendum against spring hunting if the government refuses to ban it. 

Last month, BirdLife president Darryl Grima said that given that scientific reports are being ignored, numbers are reported incorrectly and the government is taking decisions based on political expediency, “we may call another referendum”.

Given the current political tensions and the painstaking process of collecting signatures to hold a referendum, this is highly improbable. 

But BirdLife insists that the referendum result did not give this and future governments a licence to automatically open the spring hunting season every year.  

Birdlife demands ‘zero tolerance’ 

Reminding Prime Minister Joseph Muscat of the illegalities which took place during last year’s spring hunting season, Birdlife demanded a “zero tolerance” policy.

In a letter sent to Muscat, Birdlife CEO Mark Sultana pointed out that several protected birds have been shot down in recent weeks and reminding Muscat of his prompt decision to close down last year’s season, he wrote “we ask you to once again impose a zero tolerance policy on illegal hunting and if any illegalities do take place the season should be closed immediately.”  

Sultana also expressed his concerns about government’s decision to allow hunting between 17 and 30 April, especially since turtle doves have been classified as a vulnerable species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). 

The 2016 spring hunting season, which starts today, is three days shorter than the one announced last year and is subject to special measures in a bid to reduce the impact on turtle dove and quail numbers of the derogation from the EU ban on spring hunting. 

Unsurprisingly, BirdLife Malta is disappointed with the decision to open another spring hunting season on turtle doves, with the NGO insisting that the government had documents that indicate that this should not take place anymore. 

The season will be open during a two-week period between 17 and 30 April, a reduction of seven days from the maximum of three weeks allowed under the Framework Regulations. 

The national spring quota for turtle dove has been reduced from the maximum of 11,000 birds to just 5,000 birds. 

Turtle dove numbers across the globe have fallen by 30% in 15 years and the birds now face the same extinction threat as the African elephant and lion. 

Sultana said that the numbers of birds killed and declared by hunters are far from the truth, and measures to be sure on the quotas declared are “fictitious and hard to enforce.”

“Spring hunting is unsustainable and killing birds on their last step from their breeding grounds goes against the values of conservation. Malta remains the only country in the European Union to allow hunting of turtle dove in spring,” Sultana said following the announcement of the new season. 

But the hunters’ federation (FKNK) said there appeared to be a discrepancy about the number of turtle dove that BirdLife International had given the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, compared to the figures which EU member states reported to the European Commission.

Reiterating its proposal for a conservation project for turtle dove, FKNK argued that any restriction which should have been made to the hunting derogation was made last year.

The 5,000 national quota for quail, as well as the individual daily bag limit of two birds and the maximum season’s bag limit per hunter of four birds, will remain unchanged. 

The autumn hunting season for turtle dove will be reduced from five months (previously between 1 September and 31 January of the following year) to the month of September only. This one month autumn hunting season for turtle dove will be subject to the maximum national quota of 7,000 birds. 

Only those persons who are issued with a Special Spring Hunting Licence for 2016 will be permitted to hunt turtle dove and quail during this two week spring season. The government said that the limited spring hunting season will be subject to stringent enforcement, and any non-compliance with applicable conditions and regulations will not be tolerated.