Pig farm permit infuriates NGO

The granting of a permit to a large-scale pig farm, to be built between Magħtab and Salina, next to residences clearly highlighted the Malta Environment and Planning Authority's lack of regulations to protect residents' health, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar said.

The environmental NGO called for more awareness of EU regulations with regard to human health and said it would like to see the necessary public health studies carried out in line with EU obligations before decisions impacting people's health were taken.

Speaking about Mepa's granting of the pig farm permit on Thursday, the NGO noted that applying veterinary regulations, which stipulate a distance of 100 metres between pig farms, had pushed the farm to within 20 metres of the residences. "It is unacceptable for Mepa authorities to justify such a permit by saying that 'regulations have been followed'. If local regulations are inadequate, damaging cases should be deferred until the necessary protective regulations are introduced.

"In this case Mepa has been very selective in the regulations it has applied, choosing to overlook its latest Agriculture, Farm Diversification and Stables - Policy and Design Guidelines," the NGO pointed out. The FAA said the new pig farm was a blatant case of highly questionable land planning, as the proposed building was being permitted to take up fertile, virgin land in a designated 'Intensive Arable Agricultural Area', affecting the productivity of neighbouring fields without even an Environment Impact Assessment.

Moreover, it said the area was littered with abandoned animal farms that had been permitted to be used by carpenters, panel beaters and mechanics.