Contentious Spring hunting is still on the agenda 10 years after a national referendum

Ten years ago, a national referendum was held to ban the hunting of turtle dove (gamiema) and common quail (summiena), voters narrowly voted in favour of retaining hunting in spring, with 50.4% voting for the existing law to remain in place.

Voter turnout was a staggering 74.8%. Pundits argued that had it not been for the last-minute campaigning of former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat the referendum would not have passed. And the hunting lobby was saved by whisker by a strong show of force from the Gozitan constituency that voted overwhelmingly against a ban in spring.

Ten years down the line, BirdLife Malta has failed to stop the opening of the spring hunting season despite evidence that the turtle dove European population has declined dramatically.

Last year the European Commission issued a letter of formal notice asking the government for justification for the opening of the spring hunting season and it is rumoured that the second notice will issue soon. But the Maltese government is adamant to keep the season open and with the PN opposition silent on Spring hunting, it only must contend with BirdLife Malta and some sections of the media when deciding about the future of hunting.

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Talking to MaltaToday Mark Sultana who was at the forefront of the campaign 10 years ago and is Birdlife Malta’s CEO said: “Time flies indeed yet the Turtle Dove is not as lucky in Malta. After the 2015 referendum campaign, a lot has happened both in the immediate and along the 10-year period. It is good to remember that the referendum did not go through by a mere 2,200 votes."

“This is even more interesting when one recalls that this came in between two national elections in which the Labour Party had won both elections with over 30,000 votes each. This clearly indicates that when partisan politics is taken out of the equation, people that are against Spring hunting come from both major parties.”

On the other hand, the hunters’ lobby president Lucas Micallef said: “On 11 April 2015, the people of Malta made history in the country’s first-ever abrogative referendum voting to retain a limited, traditional spring hunting season for turtle dove and quail." 

“The campaign was financed and led by the FKNK, but it was ultimately won by the Maltese people, who understood that democratic societies must protect minority traditions, not erase them."

He added: “Despite facing a coalition of 42 organisations—including international NGOs, celebrities, and media backing, the public chose balance over extremism. The vote was close, but decisive. Yet those who lost have spent the last 10 years attempting to overturn that result.”

Micallef referred to the fact that since 2015, BirdLife Malta had filed four separate legal actions to try and stop the spring hunting season, including most recently in 2025. 

“All four were thrown out by the courts. In fact, the judges themselves condemned these efforts, stating they showed clear signs of forum shopping and a lack of respect for Malta’s democratic and legal processes.”

Mark Sultana reminisced about the fact that ironically just a few weeks after the 2015 referendum the government opened a spring hunting season only to close it a day before its original closure due to a protected bird illegally shot close to St Edwards School in Bormla created public outrage. 

He emphasised: “The most important change following the referendum was however related to the status of the Turtle Dove when IUCN declared it as being vulnerable. This changed the goalposts and the spring hunting season on Turtle Doves in spring became unacceptable at EU level. With a clear indication that Malta was heading towards a legal battle the Government of Malta opted to issue a moratorium on spring hunting on Turtle Doves in 2017. This was a crucial development in the sense that it clearly explained that the referendum result did not give a carte blanche to the Government to open a season each year.”

SHout ambassadors and supporters gather outside their campaign launch

Saviour Balzan who was the main spokesperson during the campaign ten years ago argued that the polls 10 years showed that the campaign to ban hunting was leading by some 7,000 votes.  

“Joseph Muscat intervened to turn the tables at the very last minute. But with all his behind-the-scenes moves he was more able to balance the interests of the two sides after the referendum. He never gave in totally to the hunting lobby. Robert Abela on the other hand is unashamedly pro-hunting and unwilling to change the status quo and Bernard Grech doesn't have the slightest interest in confronting this issue. Unfortunately, the time is ripe for another referendum, but I am not too sure if the green groups have the appetite for this."  

Lino Farrugia, CEO of the hunting lobby at the time, leads a protest by hunters in a show of force from 2009

“10 years ago, MaltaToday was at the forefront of this referendum, we were also on the forefront of the referendum on divorce."

“I recall our office buzzing with activists and helpers working behind the clock in both referenda. It was a great experience, but it also revealed the toxic nature of the hunting lobby. My colleague Moira Delia went through hell for putting her face to a campaign. The hunting lobby had a cruel and toxic campaign and it was well-oiled by the Labour Party in government then. It is also true that in the hunting referendum, people used the vote to protest government, otherwise there would not have been such a huge turnout. 

"And this was 2015, I guess the peak of Joseph Muscat’s popularity and before all hell broke loose with the Panama and Daphne episode. At this stage, a referendum to ban spring hunting would serve as an opportunity for voters to protest their own government. And I have no doubt that it would be a resounding success for the green lobby.”