EU Orders Malta To Stop Illegal Bird Slaughter
April 2008. Following the recent illegal bird massacre, the government of Malta has, at last, been ordered by the European Court of Justice to ban the spring hunting of birds – a practice which is in direct contravention of European bird protection laws.
This Order implies that the Court sees urgent need to prevent irreversible damage to these migratory bird species, while a final ruling on this case is pending and not expected before 2009. The ruling has delighted the RSPB and its partner organisation, BirdLife Malta. The two organisations, along with BirdLife International, have been campaigning to end the practice of hunting turtle dove and quail, which migrate over the island in spring between Africa and Europe.
@body.JPG "Turtle Dove resting at Ghadira Nature Reserve. Photo by Denis Cachia")
Alistair Gammell is the RSPB’s international director. He said: “Having blatantly contravened European bird protection laws since 2004, the Maltese government must now recognise that Europe expects Malta to abide by the law. However, the fight isn’t completely won because the government will have to catch and prosecute those who insist on breaking the law.”
In January 2008, based on a complaint by BirdLife, the European Commission took the Maltese government to court for having allowed, every spring since the country’s accession to the EU in 2004, hunting and trapping of turtle dove and quail, in direct contravention of the EU Birds Directive .
Important Migration Route
Malta is located on an important bird migration route in the Mediterranean. Hunting during the sensitive breeding and spring migration period is prohibited under EU law, in all member states.
Joseph Mangion, President of BirdLife Malta commented: "We are pleased to see that the court has acknowledged the importance of protecting the common natural heritage of the European Union and its member states as overriding the individual interests of the Maltese hunters, who have the opportunity nonetheless to hunt these same birds in autumn. Malta has a special responsibility as it is the southernmost central Mediterranean country through which migratory birds first pass on their way to their European breeding grounds, and we should be setting an example rather than seeking exceptions."
