Efforts are being made by MPs to remove part of the law on the Protection and Management of Wild Birds, and in fact these moves are made or supported by the majority of the members of the Environment Committee of the Parliament.
Last Friday, four bills were tabled in plenary that in some places may weaken the existing legal framework, which was amended to the most stringent only recently, and may put Cyprus in trouble with the EU. their position by some of the proposed changes.
Already last Friday, the first of the amendments tabled was passed, which increased from two to four the number of hounds allowed to accompany a hunter on an excursion.
Relaxations
However, some of the proposals submitted are worrying, as it is concluded that their goal is to reassure hunters in the run-up to the presidential election, in light of the large gathering of hunters that took place a few days ago in Paralimni against the harsher sentences recently.
One of the draft laws concerns the criminalization of part of the action of the activists against the illegal trapping of protected birds and another the reduction of the penalties for the hunting of vines with sparrows.
Specifically, a proposal submitted by the Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Environment Committee Adamos Adamou, on behalf of the said committee, requests the introduction of a new offense concerning a person who intentionally harasses, obstructs or obstructs a hunter during the legal exercise of his hunting activity. . However, the requested ban does not appear to be affecting anyone who interferes with poaching.
It is also requested the deletion of the special penalty provided in the existing law regarding a person who violates the provisions of decrees issued by the head of the Thera Service. The special penalty requested to be removed provides for imprisonment not exceeding two years or a fine not exceeding 2 thousand euros or both.
It is also intended to include in the offenses that may be out of court the offense of possession of certain species of wild birds, which are prohibited from hunting and catching, provided that there is no other violation of the law. The amount of this extrajudicial fine is proposed to be set at 200 euros and the imposition of four warning points.
And possession of prey all year round…
AKEL MP Nikos Kettiros also submitted a proposal for amendments to the law on the Protection and Management of Wild Birds and Prey, asking, among other things, to delete the power of the minister to determine by notification the period during which the possession of a legally killed is allowed. so that legally killed prey can be possessed throughout the year. Also, when the hunting of protected species is done with legal means of hunting to be punished with an extrajudicial fine of two hundred euros (instead of two thousand euros) and an amount proportional to the number of wild birds that someone hunted.
A bill was submitted to the plenary by the MP and president of the Ecologists 'Movement - Citizens' Cooperation, George Perdiki, in order to prohibit the transfer to a restaurant service area of small quantities of prey, which are already cooked. In addition, provisions are added regarding the issuance of a decree for the cessation or suspension of the operation of the establishment in case any prey or species of wildlife is cooked, sold or offered at the establishment. It is envisaged, among other things, that a gamekeeper or a member of the police force may enter any premises (restaurant, tavern, hotel, etc.) without a court order if he has reason to believe that he is cooking, selling or offering prey or wildlife.
Source: CITIZEN