The risk of losing a significant amount of EU funds left the government with little choice but to forge ahead with the planned construction of a waste recycling plant in Maghtab, Environment Minister Leo Brincat said this evening.

Mr Brincat was answering a question by a Maghtab resident in his ministry’s public consultation meeting at the Auberge de Castile, organised to mark the new government’s first 100 days in office.

A considerable number of the questions he faced concerned the issue of waste management, including on the Maghtab project.

The minister said the new government inherited a project which had faced a number of delays, and that deadlines were tight as a result, particularly since the €59 million project was being co-financed by the EU. He said that if things did not start moving by October, and if the last payment was not made by 2015, there was a serious risk that Malta would have to return the EU funds it received.

“You have to weigh everything and act accordingly,” he said, conceding that this “may be of little consolation to Maghtab residents. But he also pointed out that MEPA had committed itself to meet residents and the Naxxar local council to help develop mitigation measures.

Promoting local products crucial

Parliamentary Secretary Roderick Galdes, who is responsible for agriculture, fisheries and animal rights, was actually more in demand during the session, perhaps since his portfolio has a more direct impact on the livelihoods of many.

People working in the agricultural sector made up the lion’s share of contributors to the discussion, and they raised several concerns about the challenges they faced in their work.

Several the impact of competition from imports, and Mr Galdes confirmed that this was a common concern across the sector.

The parliamentary secretary said that the best solution was to promote Maltese products, particularly since Malta could not, in any case, restrict imports from the EU.

A pig breeder suggested the development of a registered quality mark for local products in his intervention, and Mr Galdes replied that the proper labelling of local products was one of the initiatives the present government will be embarking on.

The “Naturalment Malti” mark launched by the previous government, he said in reply to a further question, was not as effective as it should have been, possibly because it was not associated with any particular product.

Wildlife Crime Unit being considered

Mr Galdes is also directly responsible for a contentious issue – hunting and trapping – which was brought up by a hunter and by two environmentalists.

He distinguished between ‘responsible hunters’ and others who were mere criminals, stating that the government would maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards the latter. He later added that the new government’s decision to set up a Spring Hunting Monitoring Board was a positive step forward.

The parliamentary secretary also said that the government was looking into the setting up of Wildlife Crime Unit within the police force – a long-standing wish of BirdLife Malta – but pointed out that this required discussions with the Home Affairs Ministry.

Questions of animal welfare were also raised by a number of representatives of organisations forming part of the Animal Rights Coalition. A couple of questions concerned the welfare of horses: those used in horse-drawn carriages and those which are used in races.

In his answers to their questions pledged concrete action to address animal welfare issues related to horse-drawn carriages, including the setting up of more shelters in tourist areas, even though ultimately, the responsible entity is Transport Malta. He also pledged to insist that veterinarians are present when horse races take place.

The costs would-be veterinarians face to qualify – they have to study abroad at present – was also raised by the parent of one such student. Mr Galdes noted that given Malta’s small size, it was not feasible to train veterinarians entirely in Malta, but said that the government would be working to allow them to study in Malta for the first three years.