Government office to oversee ministries' environment-related activities

A Corporate Environmental Responsibility Office is being set up within the office of the Prime Minister with responsibility over work relating to the environment done by all ministries, departments and government agencies, Environment Minister George Pullicino announced yesterday.

He said the office would set clear targets and deadlines for every ministry, which were to have "green leaders" to facilitate their work. These leaders would eventually also be appointed in departments and agencies.

Mr Pullicino was speaking about the budget estimates for his ministry in parliament.

Referring to comments by the opposition earlier in the debate, Mr Pullicino said the agriculture sector needed to be renewed with a greater sense of enterprise being created. More should be done in areas such as the production of Maltese olive oil, artisan foods and agro tourism.

He agreed with opposition spokesman Joe Brincat that there was a lot of potential in Malta for the production of prickly pears and products which stemmed from them.

The rural affairs ministry, Mr Pullicino said, was conducting an extensive campaign to promote locally produced products and a campaign on local wines would be starting soon.

Next year a national showcase of good quality Maltese wines would be set up. Talks with producers had already started.

Reacting to other opposition remarks, the minister said that he and Parliamentary Secretary Francis Agius had held many meetings with cooperatives and organisations in the fisheries sector including with the Fisheries Cooperative, which had also been invited for a meeting with EU commissioner Joe Borg.

He referred to promotion of the use of bio-diesel and said a pilot project was to be embarked upon next year to collect used edible oil from homes to be converted to bio-diesel.

This project would cover more than 16,000 homes in six localities and it was estimated that 10,000 litres of oil per month would be collected.

On comments by Noel Farrugia (MLP), Mr Pullicino said rootstock which had had a fungal disease problem at the micro-propagation centre had not been taken out of the centre but was being treated there.

Mr Pullicino said an agreement had been reached with Foster Clarks regarding sugar import costs to ensure this company remained competitive. Expansion work on this company's factory had now been embarked upon.

He said that in spite of all the problems in the agricultural sector, investment in this sector had never been so strong.

Mr Pullicino referred to afforestation, saying the ministry was focusing on four sites for massive tree planting. The project had started at Mellieha where a record of more than 4,500 trees and shrubs were planted in one year.

Tree planting was also continuing at Ta' Qali, at Kennedy Grove and at Xrobb l-Ghagin. An application had also been submitted to Mepa for a marine research centre to be developed at this site and Lm29,000 from Mepa's EIPP fund were earmarked for this purpose.

Mr Pullicino pointed out that apart from the €850,000 farmers had already had available prior to EU membership, thousands more were to be acquired for the repair of rubble walls.

He said that besides the fund which had been allocated for the tree-planting project in the budget, another Lm80,000 from Mepa's Environment Initiative Project Partnership were also to be dedicated to tree planting and 8,000 trees were to be donated soon by the Italian government.

Turning to waste disposal, he said a bring-in site was to be set up in every ministry next year. All paper and printer cartridges used by ministries, departments and agencies were to be collected for recycling and an energy audit in at least one building of every ministry was to start being made.

Across Malta, the number of bring-in sites was to go up from 50 to 400 next year, at a cost of €4.6 million, 73 per cent of which were to come from the EU. He noted that growth in the production of waste had slowed from three per cent three years ago to one per cent this year.

Referring to rubbish dumps, Mr Pullicino said that had the government heeded Dr Sant's advice to keep Maghtab open, this dump would have been 10 storeys higher by now.

Gas was still seeping out of Maghtab and the other dumps but a contract was to be awarded next year for the installation of equipment to collect these gases. A facility for the treatment of gases was also being set up at a cost of €8.4 million.

Mr Pullicino said a Danish company had won a tender to study the viability of land reclamation and consider areas that could be used for reclamation.

The ministry was also seeing how farm waste could be used for energy production. A technology committee had also been set up to study waste to energy systems.

The Sant'Antnin plant could have enough energy to meet the annual requirements of 1,400 homes.

The Sant'Antnin waste recycling project, he said, would only be taking 70 tonnes of waste of which 35 tonnes of organic waste would be transformed into compost.

Mr Pullicino said the eco-contribution was intended to prevent the creation of another Maghtab.

A commission had been set up and a number of schemes being proposed by the private sector were to be announced soon. The commission's report was to be concluded this week. For companies to receive a total exemption from eco-tax, they had to ensure 100 per cent waste collection.

Earlier in the debate, Parliamentary Secretary Francis Agius said the agriculture sector was in a transition phase but indications showed that it would continue to progress. The modernisation of this sector was needed, whether or not Malta had joined the EU, but accession made more funds available and speeded up the process.

All projects were aimed at improving the quality of produce, as well as the quality of life of the operators. Even though protectionism had been removed, there was still a strong element of subsidy and this was accepted by the EU.

A common political platform was required and work in the sector had to be in synergy with the environment. Measures which safeguarded the environment, which were efficient and through which typical Maltese products were produced had to be assisted.

People working in the sector had to realise they could not continue depending on the government.

Dr Agius said that the agricultural sector was receiving a total of €47 million for projects including the restructuring of viticulture, organic farming and the production of fresh milk.

Reacting to opposition remarks, he said that only 14 per cent of chicken breeders were completely dependent on kerosene while another seven per cent used both gas and kerosene.

Full-time farmers, he said, were receiving several subsidies and the assistance given to a full time farmer amounted to Lm698.

Schemes for producers had been introduced and these amounted to hundreds of thousands of liri.

Total income from produce taken to the vegetable market between May 1 and the end of September amounted to Lm3,061,000 as against the Lm2,925,000 in the same period last year, reflecting a 4.67 per cent increase in farmer's income.

A strong emphasis was being made for the better presentation of agricultural produce. Grading machines were expected to be in use shortly. He said the government intended to sell its shares in Malta Dairy Products.

Dr Agius said potato exports to Holland had this year reached an all time record but it was important that all exporters maintained standards. "We do not want cowboys who could tarnish Malta's good name," Dr Agius said.

He said that an organic farming registry had been set up together with a body to certify organic products.

Fishermen were still entitled to duty-free diesel and the government was honouring this commitment.

Nationalist MP Joe Falzon said fiscal benefits were being given for research on energy. The government, he said, should consider the same line of thought for research projects on the generation of energy from waste.

Mepa, he said, was financing several cultural and natural environment projects, such as tal-Grazzja Chapel and the Qala Garden.

The authority had a very big challenge ahead - to strike a balance between protecting the environment and allowing economic development.

Mr Falzon said that Mepa's board should start dedicating more time to projects favouring the environment.

Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando asked the opposition where it would have obtained the funds required for all the projects taking place in rural affairs and the environment had Malta stayed out of the EU.

How could the opposition be against the eco-contribution, from which the government would only get a minor percentage of what was required for proper waste disposal?

Without EU membership, the country would have needed the eco-contribution multiplied a hundred fold.

Dr Pullicino Orlando said he agreed with land reclamation. Indeed, wind turbines could be built on reclaimed land.

Referring to comments by Joe Brincat (MLP) Dr Pullicino Orlando said there was no eco taxation on biodegradable bags.

The budget also included initiatives to promote solar energy and bio-diesel.

Dr Pullicino Orlando said a pilot project was to be launched in Valletta to encourage the use of colour schemes. This would then be extended to other areas.