Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/495652
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 15 APRIL 2015 4 News 38%/,&&2168/7$7,210((7,1* LQUHODWLRQZLWKWKH (QYLURQPHQWDO,PSDFW$VVHVVPHQWIRUWKH 3$6D0DLVRQ0DULQDDW0DUVDP[HWW+DUERXULQ OLHXRIH[LVWLQJ5R5REHUWK,QVWDOODWLRQRIDQHZPDULQD ZLWKODQGVLGHLPSURYHPHQWVDW6D0DLVRQDQGEQHZ MHWW\ UHYHWPHQW V\VWHP DQG HOHFWULFDO VXSSO\ WUHQFK H[WHQVLRQDW3LHWDLQFOXGLQJVXEVWDWLRQ*)( 6LWHDW0DUVDP[HWW+DUERXU7ULT6D0DLVRQ)ORULDQD 3LHWD 'DWH:HGQHVGD\WK$SULO 9HQXH3LHWD/RFDO&RXQFLO ,O3HOLNDQ .0LIVXG6WUHHW 3LHWj37$ 7LPHRQZDUGV 7KHSXEOLFLVFRUGLDOO\LQYLWHGWRDWWHQGIRUWKLVSXEOLF PHHWLQJDQGWRUHTXHVWLQIRUPDWLRQDQGFODUL¿FDWLRQV GLVFXVVZLWKWKHFRQVXOWDQWVDQGFRPPHQWRQWKHLPSDFWV RIWKHSURSRVDORURQWKHDVVHVVPHQWLWVHOI7KHUHZLOODOVR EHDSXEOLFH[KLELWLRQ 7KLVLVSDUWRIWKHFRQVXOWDWLRQSURFHVVDERXWWKHSURSRVHG GHYHORSPHQWDQGLVQRWWKH¿QDOGHFLVLRQWDNLQJPHHWLQJ $OOFRPPHQWVPDGHGXULQJWKHPHHWLQJZLOOEHUHFRUGHG &RSLHVRIWKHGUDIW(QYLURQPHQWDO,PSDFW6WDWHPHQWPD\ EHYLHZHGDWWKHRI¿FHVRIWKH0DOWD(QYLURQPHQWDQG 3ODQQLQJ$XWKRULW\6W)UDQFLV5DYHOLQ)ORULDQDDQGDW WKH)ORULDQD0VLGD*ĪLUDDQG3LHWj/RFDO&RXQFLOGXULQJ RI¿FHKRXUV :ULWWHQVXEPLVVLRQVFDQDOVREHPDGHE\QRWODWHUWKDQ :HGQHVGD\WK0D\7KHVHVKRXOGEHDGGUHVVHGWR WKH'LUHFWRU(QYLURQPHQW3URWHFWLRQ'LUHFWRUDWH0DOWD (QYLURQPHQW 3ODQQLQJ$XWKRULW\6W)UDQ FLV5DYHOLQ )ORULDQDRUVHQWWRHPDLODGGUHVVHLDPDOWD#PHSDRUJPW )XUWKHUGHWDLOVFDQEHREWDLQHGIURP KWWSZZZPHSDRUJPWSHUPLWWLQJHDFRQV MEP vows to keep up pressure for ban on Malta's spring hunting MATTHEW VELLA SCOTTISH National Party MEP Alyn Smith has promised to keep up the pressure on the European Commission to "end the mass killing of rare migratory birds in Malta". The MEP, an honorary vice-pres- ident of the Scottish SPCA, said that the European Commission had a responsibility to take action when it comes to the shooting of protected species. "Spring hunting in Malta is no sport. In this 20-day hunting pe- riod, migrating birds are killed before they can breed. It may not sound like much, especially consid- ering Malta's small size, but in this period hunters are legally permit- ted to kill 11,000 turtle doves and 5,000 quail. That's not a hunt – it's a massacre," Smith said. "The turtle dove has long been a symbol of peace and devotion but now it's in very real and genuine danger of extinction in the UK. Every spring, the migration path of birds takes them over Malta, where they are targeted by hunters who are recreationally killing an eye-watering number of rare birds, both legally and illegally. "I respect the traditions of other countries but when other rare species of bird are being blasted out of the sky in contravention of the Birds Directive and this is be- ing swept aside under the guise of 'hunting season', the Commission has a responsibility to take action." Dr Mark Eaton of the Royal So- ciety for the Protection Birds said that there was a great risk of ex- tinction for the turtle dove. "The turtle dove is in a great de- gree of danger – if this trend were to continue we could be down to fewer than 1,000 pairs by the mid- dle of the next decade, with com- plete extinction a real possibility. "Losing six out of 10 of our tur- tle doves and three out of 10 grey partridge in five years is nothing short of an unsustainable wildlife disaster." FKNK 'didn't understand' Muscat's last chance warning TIM DIACONO LINO Farrugia, chief executive of hunting federation FKNK, admit- ted on ONE TV that he did not un- derstand what the Prime Minister meant when he warned hunters that they had "one final chance to get it right". "Hunting organisations must re- alise that the situation has changed and they now have one final chance to get it right," Joseph Muscat said moments after the referendum re- sult was announced, narrowly in favour of retaining the spring hunt- ing season. "When the spring hunt- ing season re-opens, it will not be back to usual for them. Law-abiding hunters are responsible for report- ing all cases of law-breaking hunt- ers," Muscat said. Farrugia's public appearances in the Yes to spring hunting campaign were few and far between – it was felt his public speaking would not be an asset to the Yes campaign. How- ever, he has already made two public appearances since the Yes vote. In a press conference on Monday, FKNK president Joe Perici Calascione also said that he could not understand Muscat's 'last chance' warning, but insisted that "this is the moment of truth for hunters, who carry a huge responsibility towards those who voted 'yes' to spring hunting." On Monday, a day after their vic- tory, FKNK representatives held a meeting with Muscat where, ac- cording to Farrugia, they discussed the FKNK's 'zero tolerance' policy towards law-breaking hunters. "I am sure that genuine hunters will be more wary now," Farrugia said. Spring Hunting Out campaigners Saviour Balzan and Mark Sultana have publicly criticised Muscat for encouraging Labour voters to vote for spring hunting. Opposition leader Simon Busuttil had also pub- licly declared his intention to vote Yes. However, Farrugia pointed out that while Muscat and Busuttil had supported the Yes campaign, Arch- bishop Charles Scicluna and former judge Giovanni Bonello had sup- ported the No campaign. "The three English-language newspapers, 14 NGOs including the powerful BirdLife Malta, and a political party – Alternattiva Demokratika – were all against us," Farrugia said. 'Spring hunting would be banned if Muscat hadn't intervened' – Balzan Speaking on ONE TV in a later programme, MediaToday managing editor Saviour Balzan pinned the blame for the Yes victory on Mus- cat's support of the spring hunting lobby. "If Muscat and other Labour MPs hadn't intervened, then we would have won the referendum," Balzan said, adding that the Labour Party representatives had called people up to tell them to vote Yes, and that La- bour MPs, band clubs, and mayors had all encouraged people to vote Yes. "It has been sociologically proven that Labourites are more likely to follow their leader's beliefs than Na- tionalists are," Balzan said. "If Mus- cat says that he believes in some- thing, a large chunk of Labourites will vote for that something. On the other hand, most Nationalists hadn't even considered that Simon Busuttil was voting Yes before they themselves voted No." He accused Yes camp spokesper- son Kathleen Grima, and her cam- paign, of scaring people into be- lieving that their own hobbies and pastimes would be at risk if the No vote were to win. "Yes campaigners walked around Marsaxklokk, scaring old fishermen that they wouldn't be allowed to fish anymore if the No vote were to win," Balzan said. He also hit out at Grima's call to Parliament to discuss a change to Malta's abrogative referendum laws so as to "safeguard minorities". "I respect the defeat, but in all fair- ness the PN had tried and failed to get Malta into the EU in 1996, but then tried again and succeeded a few years later," Balzan said. "Now the Yes campaigners want to change the goalposts." Prime Minister criticised for encouraging Labour voters to vote for spring hunting Lino Farrugia Alyn Smith