In Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono’s reply (TMID, 11 September) to my objective and truthful time-series analytical results of the agricultural sector in Gozo (TMID, 28 August), Minister Debono resorted once again to half-truths to fool the Gozitans.

One cannot compare, as the minister did, the volume of fruits and vegetables sold during the first six months of this year with the volume sold during the first six months of last year – the worst six months for several years – and then say, on the basis of that, that the agriculture sector has registered progress. Otherwise that comparison is just a flimsy attempt to fool the Gozitans.

One swallow does not make a summer and just one value compared to another does not establish a trend. That is why I based my arguments on the performance of the agriculture sector over a number of years and on a number of sub-sectors. I wanted to give the true picture. I do not want to give a wrong impression to fool the people and I will persist in my efforts not to let Minister Debono do it.

Indeed that is the scope of this letter.

In her reply Minister Debono betrays her penchant for half-truths and writes “another inconsistency in Dr Refalo’s argument is when he blames Malta’s entry in the EU as ‘causing severe setbacks in the agriculture sector’.”

In fact what I actually said was that “in truth, in Europe with Lawrence Gonzi as Prime Minister and Giovanna Debono as Minister, Gozo experienced severe setbacks in its agricultural sector.”

That means that in Europe with a different Prime Minister and a different minister responsible for Gozo who really care about the island’s economic well-being, Gozo would have been in a much better situation today.

The Gozo abattoir proves this without any vestige of doubt.

The abattoir should have been upgraded before membership so as to be compliant with EU regulations. The government failed to do the necessary improvements and on the day of accession the abattoir had to be closed down. Today, more than 40 months after accession, the necessary upgrades have not yet been carried out, the abattoir still remains closed and breeders have still to take their livestock to be slaughtered in Malta.

Anton Refalo MP, LLD

Opposition spokesman for Gozo