Enforcement is “very weak on all animal welfare legislation.”
This was a statement made by the Animal Welfare Commissioner, Alison Bezzina.
Weak enforcement is an issue that Malta has grappled with over the past few years. Be it the authorities not having taken action over certain allegations which occurred a few years ago, not enough enforcement on construction sites, and now, it seems, not enough enforcement also in the animal welfare sector.
During an interview with The Malta Independent on Sunday some weeks ago, an animal activist had aired concern with how lax enforcement on animal welfare laws seems to be. For instance, Rosalind Agius from the Association for Abandoned Animals remarked: “One of our biggest issues is the lack of enforcement on the existing laws. For example, when Animal Welfare deals with someone who’s been mistreating their animals and the animals are confiscated, that same person is then still able to go and get more animals. These people need to be taken to court so that these situations stop happening, otherwise they’re just free to keep getting more animals. It’s upsetting because this sort of thing happens continually. The laws need to be changed and to be enforced.”
In an interview with the Malta Independent on Sunday last weekend, Alison Bezzina said: “Unfortunately, it’s not just with animal welfare cases, enforcement is very weak in Malta for most things.” She went on to say that “at the moment enforcement is very weak on all animal welfare legislation.”
Asked about the Animal Welfare Directorate resources, Bezzina noted that they have improved a bit, “but they are not anywhere close to matching the demand; it is still very lacking.” She is hoping that if everything within the planned reforms is implemented, they should have the resources to finally match the demand.
One hopes that this will be the case. Like other enforcement authorities which need more resources – one here must mention the police – the government needs to find a way to attract more people to the posts.
We must ensure that the laws are enforced and those who abuse animals are charged.
Another point that needs to be brought up is the speed at which some legislation is passed, and the lack of speed on others, such as the slow pace of the still pending zoo regulations, and the government’s quickness to pass law regarding dangerous animals as film props. She summised that they would have assumed that if they did not pass this law Malta would have a problem attracting the level of film money that we would want to attract. “It’s a pity that financial gain is being given priority over animal rights and welfare,” she said.
One must point out that Malta needs updated zoo regulations to ensure that the animals are being kept in good conditions. One hopes that the eventual law will first and foremost guarantee what is best for the animals themselves above all else.