Malta is a member of the EU but seems to think that it can break and bend the rules of the club by allowing spring hunting of migrant birds that pass across this Mediterranean island on their way north.
Birds of all sorts are killed at this time of year. The other evening a party of migrating harriers, mostly Montagus, were attacked at night, at their roost, by Maltese ‘hunters’.
Each evening, from tonight until Saturday, Chris Packham will be posting a video on YouTube at 9pm UK time to publicise this slaughter.
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Malta’s economy depends heavily on tourism. Perhaps as well as writing to MEPs we should also be writing to the package holiday companies and other parts of the tourism industry. If they can be made to see this as a threat to their business they will exert pressure on the Maltese government to bring an end to this disgraceful situation.
I would also suggest writing to the Maltese High Commission:
[email protected]
Disappointing but predictable reply from the High Commission. Portrays critics as “publicity seeking… individuals…thriving on sensationalist exaggerations if not outright fabrications”. According to the HC Malta has the most rigorous, best enforced hunting regulations anywhere in Europe. The harriers depicted being shot at in videos from Malta may beg to differ. Likewise the hunters brazenly shooting at them in plain view don’t seem to hold a great deal of fear for the supposedly draconian enforcement of hunting laws. The official Maltese position on this issue is complacent and inadequate. It is important that pressure is maintained on the to change it.
The Maltese Tourism Authority may also be interested to hear from you:
http://www.mta.com.mt/contactus.aspx
People like Gary Neville [Man Utd and England] are pumping £ millions into Malta
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2677635/Manchester-United-stars-plough-2m-into-Malta-hotel-project.html
So may be you should not go to Old Trafford or support England in the world cup this summer. He is classed as a ‘diplomat’ for the island as he loves it so much and classes it as his second home. He even has a ‘soccer school’ there to teach the youngsters. High profile people like this should be approached by Chris Packham. What about a ‘break in’ at ‘match of the day’ so that millions of people would see the problems in Malta
John,
That’s interesting re Gary Neville. I would implore Chris Packham or other campaigners to approach Gary Neville and bring him up to speed with their campaign. My guess is that they would find him sympathetic to their cause, he is a bit different to many of his fellow footballers and he certainly appears to have some fairly good green credentials.
http://metro.co.uk/2013/04/09/gary-neville-3587437/
http://www.ukgbc.org/opinion/gary-neville-my-sustainability-journey
Good response today from my MEP, Fiona Hall (Lib Dem NE England). She was well informed on the issue, has signed the Birdlife letter to the European Commissioner and has previously contacted various organisations regarding the shooting and trapping of birds in the Mediterranean including the Maltese Department for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change, and the Cypriot authorities regarding similar issues in Cyprus.