MEPs sign letter to Commission to stop Maltese abuse of EU laws on hunting and trapping

BirdLife Malta has been campaigning at the European Parliament in a bid to obtain signatures from MEPs for a letter to the European Commission to ask it to take action regarding Malta’s persistent abuse of EU regulations on hunting and trapping. Maltese MEPs are (so far) no where to be seen.

Various MEPs signing BirdLife Malta’s letter to the European Commission to force Malta to abide by EU law (Photo credit: BirdLife Malta Twitter

This is not the first time that BirdLife Malta sought the help of MEPs to write directly to the European Commission. 33 MEPs from ten countries had written to then Commission for the Environment Janez Potočnik in March 2014 to engage a debate about spring hunting in Malta.

According to BirdLife Malta’s twitter feed, there have so far been 19 MEPs from 6 countries that have signed this petition, including:

• Esther de Lange, Netherlands – European People’s Party (EPP)
• Helga Stevens, Belgium – European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR)
• Ashley Fox, United Kingdom – European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR)
• Anneliese Dodds, United Kingdom – Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D)
• Linda McAvan, United Kingdom – Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D)
• Inese Vaidere, Latvia – European People’s Party (EPP)
• Artis Pabriks, Latvia – European People’s Party (EPP)
• Molly Scott Cato, United Kingdom – Greens/European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA)
• Theresa Griffin, United Kingdom – Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D)
• Mary Honeyball, United Kingdom – Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D)
• Clare Moody, United Kingdom – Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D)
• Paul Brannen, United Kingdom – Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D)
• Jude Kirton-Darling, United Kingdom – Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D)
• Vicky Ford, United Kingdom – European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR)
• Mark Desmesmaeker, Belgium – European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR)
• Glenis Willmott, United Kingdom – Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D)
• Barbara Matera, Italy – European People’s Party (EPP)
• Javor Benedek, Hungary – Greens/European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA)
• Daniel Hannan, United Kingdom – European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR)

This list is not even the final one, so BirdLife will hopefully manage to garner more signatures than it did last year. However, we once again fail to see any of the Maltese MEPs taking a stand (unsurprisingly), even though both their European political groups (EPP and S&D) are already represented by MEPs in this petition.

While I was working as a Trainee with the European Commission, I attended a political lunch with Maltese MEP Roberta Metsola alongside my fellow colleagues. I had asked Dr Metsola regarding the Spring Hunting referendum, to which she answered that she had voted NO. As such, I am left wondering why Metsola did not sign this petition if she so calmly admitted that she is not in favour of spring hunting.

I am pretty sure that the stellar work which Metsola is currently doing on the Mediterranean migration crisis does not leave her much legroom for any other migration issue.

On a side note, compare BirdLife Malta’s work with that of opposing NGO FKNK. The former uses its bare resources to bring about a change through legal channels, while the latter has its CEO engaged as a paid consultant with the government to cheat its away to victory.

If Disney films have taught countless children anything, is that villains and cheaters always finish last…on that note, may I remind you all about birds and Disney:

Mario De Marco and the PN “have a green conscience”, yet they support Spring Hunting

Mario de Marco, PN deputy leader for parliamentary affairs, has appealed to his party to avoid repeating past ODZ development mistakes and to acknowledge that times have changed and there was a growing green conscience. Yet Mario de Marco and his PN buddies all publicly declared that they would support the European Commission condemned illegal spring hunting season.

Mario De Marco wants you to believe that the PN is becoming more environmentally conscious…yet he and his party voted ‘YES’ to keep illegal spring hunting in Malta. (Photo credit: TimesofMalta)

Actually Dr De Marco, times have not changed in terms of a ‘growing green conscience’. Times have changed in terms of ‘how much bullshit the public is willing to swallow from their politicians’. Apologies for the crass use of this language, but I find such comments by these ‘elite’ politicians utterly patronising and insufferable.

The PN was, and is, complicit with the Labour Party on the issue of Spring hunting, and also on the upcoming illegal autumn finch trapping season. Both of these cases are currently open infringement cases by the European Commission against Malta. Yet since Malta joined the EU, neither the PN nor the PL ever managed to remove these practices permanently when they where in Government. On the contrary, they both advocated for a vote in favour of spring hunting and subsequently managed to marginalise those members of the public with an actual green conscience.

This is a classical political manoeuvre – Joseph Muscat saw that Malta was becoming more ‘liberal’ following the divorce referendum, so he started pandering for the LGBT vote, and Simon Busuttil is seeing that Malta is becoming more ‘environmentally conscious’ following the spring hunting referendum, so he is currently pandering for the green vote. The reality is that neither Joseph nor Simon really care about being liberal or environmental; they simply care about your vote and being elected into power.

I would strongly suggest to the PN that if it really want to embrace a ‘green conscience’, it has to take a public stand on whether it would allow spring hunting and autumn finch trapping again if it assumes office in the future. I would ask Marthese Portelli for her comments on this issue, but she is not exactly the sharpest tool in the PN’s environmental toolbox.

Also, there is another critical thing that strikes me about Mario De Marco’s comments – it seems that for the PN the environment in Malta only means natural spaces, or virgin land. De Marco’s speech completely ignores other significant components such as biodiversity, water, the marine environment, the atmosphere, soil ecosystems, and so on (uwijja mhux xorta?!?!). If anything, the political perception of the environment in Malta speaks volumes about how they choose to manage it (or in this case mismanage it).

So spare us these comments Dr De Marco, and make sure your party puts its money where its mouth is.

Idiot’s guide to spring hunting in Malta

Three days into this illegal spring hunt and two hunters have shot a protected bird each. They both feigned ignorance, where one said he mistook the protected bird for a non-protected one, and the other thought he could hunt the protected bird he shot in spring.

Mistakes happen to the best of us, and to all of us. So, to make sure that hunters do not make any more of these mistakes, I have devised the following illustrated guide to (illegal) spring hunting in Malta. This Idiot’s guide is well suited to budding young hunters, to older hunters who may not be sure which birds are protected, and to all hunters in general. NB – The title does not allude to hunters being idiots; the title is derived from a series of books of the same name, just in case someone gets a bit touchy.

1) This is a Turtle Dove

Just in case there are any hunters like Shaun Demicoli who have missed the spring hunting referendum, you can only hunt turtle doves and quails in spring. If you have never seen a turtle dove, the following is a turtle dove:

2) This is a Quail

3) Spring is in April, Autumn starts in September

As per the first point, spring is not to be confused with autumn. Just in case you get confused, if the countryside is full of pretty colours, it generally signifies the presence of spring.

(Photo credits: Spring – Chevron, Autumn – maltaweathersite.com)

4) These are not Turtle Doves

It is very easy to confuse turtle doves with other things. Do not be fooled, these seemingly stupid birds are masters at deception. Before you shoot what you think is a turtle dove, explore the following images to avoid criminal charges:

5) These are not Quails

Quails are the ultimate masters of disguise. They can morph into several other animals and objects that may or may not be found in the Maltese countryside. If you you think you are seeing a quail, stop for a second and think it through:

It could a hedgehog (they are protected as well, just in case)

It could be a Hobza Maltija from a Qormi bakery

It could be a puffer fish (these are poisonous, so proceed with care)

This Idiot’s guide to spring hunting should hopefully allow hunters and those interested in hunting in spring to do so within the limits of the law. I would strongly suggest conserving paper and not printing these images.

Happy (illegal) spring hunting!

Next on the flagrant hunting menu – Lapwing with a side of stupid

The second of many forthcoming casualties of this spring hunting season for which you voted for is a lapwing.

(Photo credit: DenisCachia/BirdLife Malta)

So now let us wait for this hunter to be arraigned, found guilty and for him to express his sadness on local media. Let us wait for him to say that he made a mistake, seeing as he thought that this bird was also a turtle dove. Let us also wait for the FKNK and KSU to condone his actions, and for his hunting comrades to call him a miskin and pay for his fine.

* * *

Fun Fact – the Lapwing derives its name from the ‘lapping’ sound it makes when it flutters its wings. This sound is quite similar to the lapping sound hunting dogs make when carrying the carcasses of illegally shot protected birds during the spring hunting season.

Hunters portray Stefan Micallef as a Martyr

As quickly as the Cuckoo swooped over Manikata and was shot and killed by Stefan Micallef, the hunters rallied to the defence of this poacher. It becomes increasingly evident that the hunters and their families themselves do not even understand the implications of killing a protected bird.

Stefan Micallef publicly declared that he mistakenly took the cuckoo for a turtle dove. This may have been the case, as we are all human and we do make mistakes, but his attempted cover up of his supposed mistake makes him equally culpable. This is the same situation as a hit and run accident. If you crash into a car, and it was your mistake, you have to stop and take responsibility for your actions. If you decide to just run and attempt to evade punishment, it makes things even worse.

However, hunters do not think in the same logical way as most people do. In fact, they are collecting donations for Stefan Micallef’s fine, because they feel that he should be compensated for being publicly humiliated and vilified by the public. Additionally, I find comments from Stefan Micallef’s family and friends as being completely irrelevant. While it is quite acceptable to be upset at what happened, they shouldn’t take umbrage at the way people are reacting to this situation.

Stefan Micallef broke the law, mistake or not, so he has to live with that and the ensuing shame. Hopefully, this will deter other hunters who mistakenly or purposely shoot protected birds (#wishfulthinking). However, in a country that has become desensitised at the implications of killing protected birds, what do you really expect? (Uwijja, san l-ghageb kollhu ghal ghasfur wiehed miskin? Mhux kullhadd jizbalja!)

In any case, the hunters should prepare their cheque books – it is going be a long and expensive spring hunting season this year…

Stefan Micallef (the hunter arraigned today) thanks you for voting yes

The hunter arraigned today, the one you gave permission to be out there with your yes vote, promised he would follow the law to the best of his ability. Needless to say, his addiction to hunting illegal protected birds was just too strong.

And then people are surprised why hunters cannot be trusted…

Flagrant is the new buzzword this spring hunting season

As expected the spring hunting season will not be closed as promised by the Prime Minister. Instead, he created a new definition of what he believes to be the acceptable level of illegalities that would merit him closing the hunting season – it has to be flagrant.

Stefan Micallef, 43, of Naxxar, the hunter who illegally shot a protected Common Cuckoo. Photo credit: TimesofMalta

Flagrant is the new buzzword. You better memorise it and start putting it in your vocabulary, as we will be hearing a lot of the Yes voters using it in their arguments after more illegal hunting incidents will be reported in the coming days. That is how these people operate after all, they follow the yardstick provided to them as they cannot think critically for themselves.

So what is flagrant abuse?

According to previous governments, and the current one, it has to be systematic killing of numerous protected birds. The PN government closed the 2007 spring hunt after a flock of honey buzzards was massacred, and the current PL government closed the 2014 autumn hunt after a daily spate of illegalities.

Any rational person in Malta (in this case, the individuals who voted NO), knows clearly enough that the killing of protected birds cannot be quantified in numbers. One, two, twelve, fifty or a hundred makes no difference when they are protected, as it is ILLEGAL. The fact that governments in Malta have the audacity to decide what number is acceptable is unbelievable.

I am very sorry for those law abiding hunters, but enough is  enough. This has not happened once, and this rampant poaching will keep on occurring until spring hunting is banned once and for all. The 49.6% of the population, or as I call them the real ‘minority’, are watching you like hawks. You may want to shoot us down, stuff us and add us to your collection, but we will not let this go.

The government may accept the killing of even one protected bird because it is not ‘flagrant’ enough, but we will not. Furthermore, in light of this referendum, a collective punishment is more than justified. You are all certainly capable of follow the law, you just choose to flagrantly not too.

Hunters will always be Cuckoos in the nest that is Malta

A day after the illegal spring hunting season opened in Malta, a hunter has already shot and killed a protected bird. Will the season be closed after the Prime Minister expressed a zero tolerance policy to illegalities?

The first of many casualties for this Spring Hunting season Photo credit: MaltaRightNow

Reports in local media have stated that a cuckoo was illegally shot in the Manikata area in Malta. The hunter attempted to conceal his trophy but onlookers guided police to the seize the contraband.

After the Yes Campaign won the referendum on Sunday, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat expressed that he will not tolerate illegal hunting in spring any more.

Now it is time to see if this promise will be kept. But we should not hold our breath; after all the poor hunters need to adjust to these new criteria right? In any case, the 49.6% of the Maltese population who voted NO are not about to forgive the Prime Minister or the Opposition leader for this epic blunder, even if the hunting season is closed this second.

Fun Fact – the common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) is a brood parasite. It lays its eggs in the nests of other birds, and once the chick hatches, it instinctively pushes the host’s chicks out of their nest. Kind of similar to how hunters pretend to be sustainable and law-abiding like the rest of the hobbyists and environmentalists.

If the hunting season is closed as the result of this shot Cuckoo, it will probably be the best example of poetic justice Malta has ever seen.

Yes voters compare spring hunting to abortion. Sigh (or should we cry?)

As expected, the international media did not react kindly to the embarrassing outcome of the spring hunting referendum. Various global media agencies covered the story, and numerous British people took to twitter to voice their disbelief at the idiocy of the Maltese population. And bang on cue to solidify this claim are some yes voters comparing spring hunting to abortion.

Twitter in Malta is pretty powerless. Everyone on this island is all about Facebook since most people cannot bring themselves to express their thoughts in a 140 character tweet. However, living in London has allowed me to experience the power and efficacy of twitter. When used properly, this social media platform is the quickest way for any piece of interesting news to go viral within a matter of minutes.

Unsurprisingly, an onslaught of anti-Malta rants started appearing on twitter. Local media sheepishly covered this story, since Malta NEVER gets mentioned on twitter anyway. Even more unsurprising is how most Yes voters started commenting below some of these articles (see pictures below).

Some comments beneath the Newsbook article.

For these people, you voted to keep a practice that is illegal throughout the rest of the EU, and when foreigners express their distaste at the outcome of the result you suddenly become touchy and nationalistic. To add insult to injury, you throw abortion in the mix. Effing abortion.

Who the bloody hell even mentioned abortion? I have tried to shy away from using certain language, but it is becoming increasingly hard to not call certain people stupid when they are the epitome of Maltese stupidity. So are you all going to boycott Oxford Street and Primani and pretty much EVERY EU country just because abortion is legal there? Malta is the only country in the EU with a sweeping ban on all types of abortion – and similar to divorce, only the government can introduce such a law. On the other hand spring hunting is illegal everywhere else expect in Malta, and since you cannot find a legitimate argument to justify this illegal hobby, you go with abortion (mhux xorta!).

If you voted Yes, now is the time to own it and shut up. Let us and the rest of the world grieve at the prospect of illegal spring hunting in Malta, or would you rather muzzle everyone that doesn’t agree with you? Did your ‘tolerance’ and ‘respect’ suddenly evaporate after the results were announced?

I have said this numerous times about the Yes campaign; in the absence of a valid argument (it never had one), yes voters will find ANY excuse to justify their illegal spring hunting fetish.

Abortion…give us a break won’t you.

Yes, you can continue hunting illegally. For now at least.

The spring hunting referendum yielded a disappointing Yes win. The Maltese government can keep on allowing illegal spring hunting to continue while the rest of us pay the imposed EU fines so that a select few of people can enjoy their hobby.

The seemingly traditional and undisputed art/sport of bullfighting has been banned in Catalonia, despite opposition from tradition advocates (Photo credit: theguardian)

Democracy is a double edged sword – it provides a euphoric sense when you win, but a gut-wrenching one when you sit one the losing side. Like most people today, I feel as though democracy has let me down. This feeling is not being aided by those Yes voters who (even though have been too embarrassed to admit their stance) are posting about democracy this, and democracy that. While it is true that the referendum is a democratic process, this is the sixth or seventh one that we had in Malta and every outcome has always been respected.

I for one have been heralding the democratic nature of this referendum. Will I respect the outcome? Of course I will. Do I respect spring hunting? Most certainly not. If anything, this referendum only highlights what I have been saying for so long – that the environment in Malta is irrelevant and insignificant, because our ‘hobbies’ and lifestyle are far more important to us.

At least now we know who the real minority in this country is. Till then, you can all enjoy paying fines out of your taxes for the continuation of illegal spring hunting.

Well, at least for now dear hunters. They did eventually ban bullfighting in Barcelona and the rest of Catalonia (and THAT is an actual traditional and cultural blood sport). Attendance for bullfights in Spain is increasingly becoming a senior citizen’s club. Young people are simply not interested in this bloodsport.

The same situation occurs in Malta, where you have the vast majority of young people opposing spring hunting. But when the young and forward thinking generation is outnumbered by the older and more traditional one, such practices will be extremely difficult to eliminate. And before a handful of young yes voters come out to oppose this statement, you will most definitely be a minority when you reach your golden age. This is what consistently happens in aging European democracies – the older generation screws over the younger one. It recently happened with the Scottish Referendum, and it happened today with the spring hunting referendum in Malta.

So enjoy your illegal spring hunt dear hunters, as your so-called tradition is on the decline and will become obsolete in the next couple of decades. The least you can do now is have the decency to report your fellow poachers. 49% of the population is watching you, and they are not about to let you off that easy.

For now, I will enjoy the last day of Spring before citizens get unceremoniously shoved out of the way and drenched in lead pellets.

* * *

N.B. – A special thank you goes out to all those fishermen, firework enthusiasts, bizzilla workers, festa lovers, stamp collectors, for depriving 49% of the population with the opportunity to enjoy spring, when your hobbies are safeguarded under Maltese Law. Thank you for being selfish and short-sighted.