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Help to stop illegal spring hunting in Malta
Good news for our Malta campaign as the European Commission give a final warning to Malta.
Many thanks to all who wrote on this issue; the campaign is now closed.
In Europe, turtle dove and quail numbers are declining and depleted respectively.
Despite this, the Maltese Government continue to allow shooting of these species during spring.
This is in direct contravention of European Union (EU) law, which Malta has broken every year since joining the EU in 2004.
Unless decision–makers are persuaded to act, the Maltese will probably break the law again in 2008.
Malta is a bottleneck for birds migrating from Africa before they fan out into the rest of Europe.
Spring hunting in Malta is especially damaging, killing birds shortly before their nesting begins, therefore reducing the potential for a species to replenish its population each year.
How you can help
The Birds Directive is a crucial piece of EU legislation for conservation, designed to protect all bird populations when they are at their most vulnerable from hunting - during the breeding season and during their return migration.
All member states are required to adhere to the Birds Directive and Malta should be no exception.
Despite the European Parliament putting pressure on the Commission (through its March 2007 Resolution) to persuade the Maltese authorities to comply fully with Community law, no significant progress has yet been made.
Indications are that spring hunting will happen again in 2008.
Please support our campaign by writing to your Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) as soon as possible - downloads to the side of this page will help you find your MEP.
The European Parliament has a supervisory role over the European Commission, so MEPs have the right to question the Commission on issues where it fails to take action.
What to put in your letter
Press your MEP to contact the Commission before the end of October.
Encourage them to write to the European Environment Commissioner, Stavros Dimas, or to table a Parliamentary Question to the European Commission to make it clear that urgent action is required.
Ask them to urge the European Commission to do the following:
- issue a final written warning to the Maltese Government by the end of October, a so-called 'Reasoned Opinion'
- apply for an injunction (an 'Interim Measure') from the European Court to block Spring hunting in 2008
Please also include the following points in your submission:
Malta should not be allowed to flout the law. Allowing Malta to get away with it may result in the following
- tens of thousands of turtle dove and quail will continue to be put at risk at a time of year when their populations are most sensitive to losses
- the authority of both the Commission and the European Parliament will be undermined. Allowing Malta to break the rules sends a message of weakness, suggesting that other countries can break these rules with impunity. The Cypriot Government allowed spring hunting in May 2007 for the first time in 14 years
- current spring hunting is being used as an excuse by some hunters to shoot many other species such as raptors and herons, and some species threatened with global extinction, such as lesser kestrel, saker falcon and pallid harrier
Please send copies of your letters, and any replies to: Sarah Colwell, Malta Spring Hunting Campaign, The RSPB, FREEPOST ANG6335, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2BR.
You can also e-mail us at campaigns@rspb.org.uk. This will help us monitor the progress of our campaign.
Writing a letter can make a real difference, thank you very much for your support.