As the illegal killing of protected birds across Malta continues to increase, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat faced questions by the press last night on why he hasn’t yet closed the hunting season.

His response was to shrug off responsibility onto the Ornis Committee, the government’s advisory hunting committee. Yet it left a great deal to be desired, and this is why. 

Muscat has not shied away from shutting down hunting seasons in the past – he closed it in autumn 2014 when hunters shot down white storks, and he closed it the following spring, right after the spring hunting referendum when a kestrel was shot and landed right into a school football ground. 

A flamingo was shot down in Hal Far last Sunday. Photo: BirdLife

Indeed, right after the hunting lobby narrowly won the referendum, Muscat had pledged a zero tolerance policy to illegal hunting and warned hunters they were now in the last chance saloon to “get it right”.

Yet, despite 13 protected birds having been shot down this autumn, the Prime Minister has resisted calls to close down the hunting season. 

“We changed the law in the last legislature, and instead of the Prime Minister just deciding one fine day to close the hunting season, I now await the advice of the Ornis Committee,” he said. “While I condemn the illegalities of recent days, one has to remember there are thousands of law-abiding hunters.”

A purple heron was shot down on Manoel Island yesterday. Photo: BirdLife Malta

So what is the Ornis Committee?

The Ornis Committee is a purely advisory body, and the new law Muscat referred to yesterday referred to a slight legal amendment which allowed it to advise the government on whether it should close the hunting season.

Yet the Prime Minister and the environment minister are still legally empowered to close the hunting season at will, without heeding the advice of Ornis. 

The Ornis Committee is composed of 12 people, seven of whom have a vote. BirdLife Malta and the hunting lobby FKNK have one vote apiece as does the Environment and Resources Authority. The other four voting members, including the chairman, are appointed directly by the government and are not required to have expertise on the matter.

A honey buzzard was shot down in Buskett yesterday. Photo: BirdLife Malta

Essentially, this gives the government a firm grip over the Ornis Committee, meaning the committee is highly unlikely to propose anything which goes against the central government’s policy. 

Moreover, informed sources have told Lovin Malta that one of the three original government-appointees on the Ornis Committee – a certain Daniel Grech – is actually a trapper himself.

However, he has since been replaced with another appointee. 

Should the Prime Minister close the hunting season? 

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Tim Diacono

Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]