Hunters accuse BirdLife of lying, a day after Brussels court action on illegal trapping

The hunting lobby FKNK has filed a judicial protest against BirdLife Malta in response to the conservationist NGO’s protest challenging the legality of Malta’s framework law for bird trapping.

Malta was on Friday hauled into the European Court of Justice by the European Commission for having published a the framework law a mere week after repealing a law under infringement proceedings, for derogating from the EU’s ban on bird trapping.

Malta’s trapping season opened under a criterion that allows trappers to catch birds, ring them and then release them. But groups like BirdLilfe and CABS denounce the derogation as a smokescreen that serves as a cover for poaching.

“The FKNK is strongly objecting to BLM’s demand for the repeal of the legal framework and declares that this is the umpteenth attack of BLM who have always targeted trappers and hunters through similar manipulative and destructive outbreaks,” the FKNK said.

“Ironically BirdLife Malta is objecting to the research project when the same BirdLlife  welcomes within its fold around 20 bird-ringers who throughout the year, use the same methods and practices indicated in the legal framework in question, where not only likewise to the legal framework do they use a net to catch the bird, and after examination it is released back into the wild, but moreover these bird-ringers enjoy many privileges whereas the trappers who are taking part in the research are bound by many restrictions!”

The hunters said that despite BirdLife’s 20 bird-ringers carry out “similar research work”, the NGO was attempting to stop the trapping of seven species of finch because this was done by bird trappers.

BirdLife says that under cover of the derogation, thousands of birds are being caught which are not being released back into the wild, as the derogation stipulates. The FKNK has denied this claim.

“The FKNK is formally requesting BLM to stop these manouevres, based on unfounded premises and half-truths, and to refrain from pursuing its agenda against trappers and hunters and this because the framework allowing derogation for scientific research on the seven species of finches is a regular one, and in line with the European Birds Directive, even if against the wishes of BirdLife Malta itself.”