A new spring hunting season has been approved by the government-appointed board despite action by the European Commission.

During the Ornis Committee meeting on Wednesday, the Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FKNK)’s proposal to open a spring hunting season on the Turtle-dove was approved, with support from all members except BirdLife Malta, which voted against it. The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) abstained.

Additionally, another FKNK proposal—to allow the trapping of Turtle-doves—was also passed. This time, all members, including ERA, supported the motion, while BirdLife Malta stood as the sole opposition.

In stark contrast, a proposal tabled over a year ago by BirdLife Malta to introduce a 200-metre no-hunting buffer zone around schools in Malta and Gozo was overwhelmingly rejected.

Only BirdLife Malta voted in favour, while all other members either voted against or abstained. Similar buffer zones already exist around beaches, main roads, and cemeteries.

“It is unbelievable and disappointing that all those seated at the Ornis table failed to support the inclusion of schools in this list to protect our children,” BirdLife Malta said in a statement.

ERA representative Darrin Stevens abstained from the vote, claiming he needed to review the implications of environmental permits—a justification BirdLife Malta criticised as an excuse following over a year of delays and discussions.

BirdLife Malta condemns committee’s bias

Following the meeting’s outcomes, BirdLife Malta reiterated its stance against opening a spring hunting season for the vulnerable Turtle-dove, highlighting that data presented by the Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU) was “mathematically and scientifically incorrect.”

The organisation stressed that while the WBRU portrayed the Turtle-dove population as stable, scientific evidence indicates a rapid decline along the Central-Eastern Flyway.

“There has never been any doubt that the way the Ornis Committee is designed is biased towards the government’s political will… to please the hunting lobby,” said Mark Sultana, CEO of BirdLife Malta.

BirdLife Malta also warned the government against escalating infringement proceedings with the European Commission.

The organisation pointed out that spring hunting of Turtle-doves is already subject to an open infringement procedure, while Turtle-dove trapping was halted in 2011 due to similar violations.