BirdLife ‘appalled’ by agreement between PL and FKNK

BirdLife Malta said today that it was appalled by the agreement announced yesterday between the Labour Party and the FKNK hunters' federation. Steve Micklewright, BirdLife Executive Director said: “While we are grateful to Joseph Muscat for ensuring we received a full copy of the text of the agreement he has signed with the FKNK, we are appalled by what it might mean if it is fully implemented.” While the carefully worded agreement states that any changes will be made ‘in conformity with the European framework’, and it commits hunters and the PL to take ‘serious measures’ on the ‘enforcement of laws so that in no way illegalities are tolerated’, the six-point agreement contains commitments that appear to go against this. “While committing to increasing enforcement is welcome, the detail of the agreement does not explicitly state how this will happen. We would at the very least have expected PL to force a commitment from FKNK to expel members who are convicted of illegal bird hunting and for their hunting licences to be revoked forever, but there is no such commitment. We will of course push for this if PL are elected to government.” Similarly the agreement includes an explicit...