The Labour Government neither cares about the most vulnerable nor about the environment, a Nationalist Party (PN) statement read.

"If this Government had a social and environmental conscience, it would have acted quickly to discuss and adopt the bill the PN presented in Parliament around a year and a half ago, which proposed measures to reduce food waste and waste generation. Instead, it chose to shelve the bill, to now quietly include this measure in the recently announced Budget."

In a press conference, Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Toni Bezzina and Shadow Minister for Social and Affordable Housing, Pensions, and the Fight Against Poverty Ivan Bartolo said that in May 2023, the PN "was proactive and presented a bill to reduce waste by donating unused food to those in need, thereby also reducing waste generated from wasted food. Unfortunately, this Government ignored the bill until it was eventually tucked into the Budget."

"Rather than recognising the merit of the bill and discussing it without unnecessary delay, the Government chose to waste a year and a half, to the detriment of about 20% of our country's population at risk of poverty and social exclusion. At the same time, it missed an opportunity for our agricultural industry to redirect unsold agricultural products - those that exceed seasonal demand - to those in need and to organizations that assist them. This would have allowed the agricultural sector to recover some of its financial challenges."

"However, this is a Government that prefers to oppose the Opposition rather than cooperate with it to assist both those most in need and the local agricultural sector. By adopting this bill in this way, the Government admits it is a government lacking vision and ideas across various areas, disconnected from the needs of the vulnerable, the poor, and those in need. We have a Government that, after criticising the PN for any reason, ultimately ends up implementing the proposals made by the PN from the Opposition."

"If the Government had been humble enough to adopt more ideas from the PN, we would have seen a Budget that solves problems, not a Budget that leaves us with the same troubles as the night before. Moreover, the supposedly Socialist Government is increasingly showing that it has lost its social soul and is disconnected from people's realities."

"We have a Government that neither cares about the common good nor about those who work for the common good. Instead, it maintains a dated, parochial approach to Maltese politics. The PN believes in a different type of politics, one where proposals that improve people's lives and help local industries, like agriculture, are promoted and advanced, rather than being left to gather dust, as this Government is choosing to do. Although in politics agreement on everything is not always possible, the Government's disregard for the basics is a testament to a government without a soul."