Animal NGOs and activists said Monday they were shocked to learn about the decision taken by the Broadcasting Authority against the Commissioner of Animal Welfare, Alison Bezzina.

Bezzina was reprimanded for saying, during a programme aired on TVM last April that you can’t love all animals and eat the same animal you say you love.

Let’s picture someone saying he or she loves dogs whilst eating Chihuahua legs, she had said. One would clearly think this is hypocritical. The same applies to all other animals. Many people say they love all animals, but what they really love are pets. They are not as concerned about the lives of other animals including those that end up on their plate as otherwise they would not eat them.

While it is possible to be an animal lover and have a deep affection for dogs, cats, birds, and various other animals that we do not consume, the contradiction arises when we claim to love cows, pigs, chickens, and other farm animals, yet continue to consume them. This inconsistency undermines the notion of genuine love and care for all animals and their well-being, she said.

The Broadcasting Authority’s move to censor the Commissioner is a dark day for the media locally, the NGOs and activists said. It marks the day where it has fallen victim of the meat and dairy lobby. The same meat and dairy lobby that is trying to silence animal activists across all the European Union and beyond, the statement said.

It is even more worrying to know that the complaint upheld by the Broadcasting Authority came from Malcolm Borg who represents the animal agriculture lobby, and who spearheaded the atack on Ms Bezzina last year when she posted on Milk Day the cruel facts how milk is produced.

Whilst the Commissioner’s interest is the protection of all animals, Borg heads 'Ghaqda Bdiewa Attivi' and 'The Malta Agricultural Consultative Council,' and his focus is to protect the business interests of the meat industry.

Darryl Grima from Vuci ghall-Annimali and a vegan activist said: “It is a fact that if you care for animals, for the environment and your health you would not choose meat and dairy. I emphasise the word fact as even the United Nations recognises that meat and dairy as one of the main causes of climate change, that processed meat and red meat are a carcinogen like tobacco. Furthermore, animal agriculture is cruel, and the local industry is one of the worst practices whereby they do not even want to move forward on basic animal welfare as being proposed by End the Cage Age. This is why if you love animals, the planet and even your own health you should choose plant-based options.”

It is imperative that a Commissioner for Animal Welfare holds the opinion expressed by Alison Bezzina. To hold a different opinion would render the commissioner unfit for the role and merely a puppet on strings, the statement said.

The following NGOs and activists expressed their support to the Commissioner for Animal Welfare and applaud her for not being silenced and standing strong in the face of opposition: Vuci ghall-Annimali. Animal Liberation Malta, Sunshine Animal Sanctuary, Real Animal Rights Foundation, Buddy’s Lost & Found Page, Voice for the Voiceless, Help us help