Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/547695
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 29 JULY 2015 5 THE deadline for the government to submit its justification to the European Commission for open- ing a finch trapping season in au- tumn 2015 expired yesterday. If the EC doesn't consider the government's justification to be adequate, then it may ask the Eu- ropean Court of Justice to start lit- igation procedures against Malta. If it does so, then an interim court injunction will force trapping to be suspended for the duration of the case. European Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella has called on Malta to end finch trap- ping and abide by the EU regula- tions. On 28 May, the EC issued a formal warning to Malta to end the finch trapping season, giving the gov- ernment two months to comply. A day earlier, the Ornis Committee – the government's consultative body on hunting – recommended the opening of a finch trapping season for autumn 2015. BirdLife Malta has urged the government to ban finch trapping, rather than risk facing lengthy and expensive EU court procedures. Citing a recent decision by the Italian government to outlaw all forms of bird trapping, BirdLife conservation manager Nicholas Barbara urged Malta to follow that country's lead. "Trapping wild birds and keep- ing them in tiny cages no bigger than a shoebox, just for fun, is completely unjustifiable," Barbara said in a statement. "Yet the gov- ernment continues to flout EU law, placing the country at risk of long and costly legal proceedings, to appease the demands of trap- pers. We urge them to act now and stop finch trapping before they risk embarrassing Malta in front of the European Courts. It's not worth it." 'Government intends to forge ahead with trapping season' Animal rights parliamentary secretary Roderick Galdes has said that the government is consider- ing the Ornis recommendations, along with other advice, and will announce its decision on trapping "in due course". Yet Barbara argued that a 'notice' for trapping posted on the website of hunting federation FKNK is a clear indication that the govern- ment intends to forge ahead with an autumn trapping season re- gardless of the possibility of legal action. The notice, posted on 18 July, informs trappers that, as "agreed with the Department of WBRU [Wild Birds Regulation Unit], the application process for trapping li- cences is now open. Trappers may obtain licences, allowing them to catch up to 10 finches across four trapping sites, for just €55'. The notice on the FKNK forum also states that the WBRU has agreed to allow the registration of new trapping sites, a decision that BirdLife has argued will damage the Maltese countryside. "The preparation of trapping sites involves removing all the vegetation, often using persist- ent herbicides or burning the ground, which leads to habitat loss, soil degradation and land ero- sion," Barbara said. "We have seen large patches of the countryside scorched and burned in prepara- tion for last year's season. Over 8,000 trapping sites were active for a whole two and a half months last year and the impact of some of these has already become perma- nent. "We need to reverse this impact, not increase it." News Deadline for government to justify finch trapping season BirdLife urges government to ban finch trapping, rather than risk 'embarrassing' Malta in front of European Courts Download the MaltaToday App now BirdLife said that over 8,000 trapping sites were active for a whole two and a half months last year