Environment minister on spring hunting: ‘Maltese first and foremost, not Brussels’

Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia was unable to say which studies the government consulted to lift the spring hunting moratorium on turtle dove, kicking the ball into Clint Camilleri’s court.

“We based our decision on studies… I am not responsible for this and it will be the responsible minister who speaks on this,” Farrugia said on TVM News Plus’ Xtra on Thursday.

The regulation of hunting falls within the portfolio of Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri rather than the environment ministry.

Farrugia insisted the Labour Party was always in favour of spring hunting and if elected to government will fight all the way in Brussels to retain the tradition in Malta.

“For us, Maltese come first and foremost, not Brussels,” Farrugia said when pressed by programme host Saviour Balzan on pending EU infringement proceedings related to hunting and trapping.

A moratorium on spring hunting of turtle dove had been introduced in 2017 following the classification of the bird by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as a vulnerable species.

However, this week, the Ornis Committee decided to recommend the opening of a limited spring hunting season for turtle dove.

PN spokesperson Robert Cutajar

Nationalist Party environment spokesperson Robert Cutajar accused the PL of “using hunters on the eve of every election” but would not reply when pressed by the minister to say whether he agreed with spring hunting.

“You answer that,”Cutajar retorted. “We do not endorse illegalities. We never endorsed illegalities.”

Cutajar insisted the PN recognised traditions. “But hunters have to understand that the Labour Party uses them for their vote every election. They have to understand that it was a Labour Party that held a referendum and sent hunters to jail,” he said.

The reference was to the 2015 referendum pushed by several environmental groups in a bid to ban spring hunting. Government had nothing to do with the initiative.

In a short contribution to the discussion, BirdLife Malta CEO Mark Sultana hit out at politicians from both major parties for bending over backwards to appease the hunting lobby.

“Both parties do not have the courage to change things and escape the influence of those who are harming the natural environment such as contractors and hunters,” Sultana said.

“We have this strange situation where all biodiversity issues fall under the environment authority but birds fall within the remit of the WBRU, which is only intended to appease hunters,” he added.