As the spring hunting season opens today and hunters hit their hideouts with their guns aimed at migrating turtle doves and quails, the European Commission warns it will not tolerate any illegalities.
Reminding hunters they were being allowed “an exception” from the Birds Directive’s general rules, a European Commission spokesman said Brussels would be closely watching how the season developed to ensure the rules were enforced and strictly adhered to by hunters.
“It will be particularly important for Malta to take all the necessary measures to ensure strict supervision and enforcement so that the limits and conditions of the 2012 spring hunting derogation are respected in practice,” the spokesman pointed out.
Under EU rules, hunting is prohibited in spring.
In 2009, the European Court of Justice found Malta guilty of allowing a full scale and disproportionate spring hunting season. However, the ECJ left a small window of opportunity open for a “limited” and “restricted” season due to the lack of birds available to be hunted in autumn.
This year’s spring hunting season will run until April 30 and is subject to strict rules, including a national bag limit of 11,000 turtle doves and...
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