FKNK’s Proposal for other National Bird-Ringing Schemes Approved by ORNIS Committee

On Wednesday, 30 April, the Federation for Hunting and Conservation – Malta (FKNK) participated in an ORNIS Committee meeting during which it tabled several important proposals for discussion. These included long-standing amendments - some tabled months or even years ago concerning; hunting at sea, revisions to the current system of penalties and the amendment of lifetime licence expulsion regulations, as well as the long-pending proposal to remove the bird-ringing monopoly in favour of establishing other national bird-ringing schemes framework.

The FKNK is pleased to announce a significant milestone: the proposal for the removal of the bird-ringing monopoly and the possibility of introducing other national bird-ringing schemes received majority support during the meeting. The motion was approved with all members voting in favour except for BirdLife Malta. This marks a historic moment for Malta’s autonomy in ornithological research and conservation efforts, and the proposal will now be forwarded to the Minister for consideration and legislation.

Despite this important achievement, the remaining two proposals, concerning hunting at sea and the principle of proportional fines and lifetime licence expulsion - were once again postponed for further discussion. The FKNK remains fully committed to seeing these matters resolved as soon as possible in a responsible manner that reflects the rights and interests of the thousands of Maltese hunters and trappers it represents.