The FKNK has had several meetings with the Labour Party over the past few years, however the PN did not join in the discussions. They argued that hunters have rights to the countryside.

The hunters argued that PN Deputy Leader Simon Busuttil also did not accept invitations to discuss the situation, they said during a press conference.

The FKNK insisted that the 79/06 legal notice had several inaccuracies and felt that it should include a fixed autumn - winter season. Talks which occurred between Minister for Tourism, Culture and the Environment Mario De Marco was supposed to lead to a legal notice, however this never happened.

FKNK president Joe Perici Calascione expressed his anger at the PN’s adverts in the media hitting against the PL, FKNK agreement, arguing that the PN had acted differently when it was in Parliament where they pledged that hunters would not lose any rights.

Mr Perici Calascione addressed that the European Commission allows hunters to shoot up to 120,000 quails and 79,000 turtle doves. “We are in no way saying that we want these high limits but this goes to show that the Maltese Government limits are too low”. Hunters had a similar agreement with the PL in 1996 and all agreed upon points had been implemented, he said, expressing that an agreement with the PN in 1998 was not upheld.

The FKNK mentioned the €50 special license for spring hunting which is included in the PL, FKNK agreement. If the PL are elected, hunting times and curfews will be discussed, they said, emphasising that hunters and trappers have as much right to use the countryside as everyone else. They concluded that they understand that they must work within the EU framework and said that correct derogations must be applied together with strict enforcement of the law.