The incident in which a scrapyard in Marsa caught fire - and the subsequent need to discard the feed stored next to it - is symptomatic of how things are currently being run: the small and the weak pay for the failures of those who should know better, the PN said.

The statement issued yesterday by the Milk Producers Cooperative, in which the KPĦ explained that the feed stored next to the scrapyard will have to be thrown away, "shows the responsibility and prudence of Malta's dairy producers, who are ensuring that any toxic elements released by the smoke do not enter our food supply."

"However, it is unjust that the KPĦ and our farmers are left to shoulder the burden, when in reality it was the authorities who failed to enforce the long list of legal breaches associated with the site that caught fire."

The PN said it insists that the farmers must not be the only ones to bear the consequences of this case.

"The Government must ensure that the country has authorities that enforce the law properly rather than operating with two weights and two measures."

The PN statement was signed by Toni Bezzina, Shadow Minister for Transport, Agriculture and Fisheries