Chicken breeders call on government to pay them subsidies due

A number of chicken breeders yesterday filed judicial letters in the First Hall of the Civil Court calling on the government to pay them the subsidies due to them.

The breeders told the court that last February, the government had undertaken to raise the subsidy payable to them for the first months of this year as a result of the international crisis that had led to sharp increases in the price of poultry feed.

The subsidy for chicken broilers was to go up from €0.498 to €0.591 per chicken while the subsidy for eggs was to remain at the rate established last year.

But the breeders claimed that the government had failed to pay them the subsidy for the period March to June. As a result, the farmers had themselves absorbed the increase in price of poultry feed and had not passed on this increase to consumers. This had had a disastrous impact on the breeders' business and they called on the government to pay them the subsidy within a week.

The farmers also held the government responsible in damages for the harm caused to their businesses. The letters were filed against the Minister for Rural Affairs by Godwin Gauci on behalf of Cauchi Poultry Ltd, Mario Caruana on behalf of Lumach Ltd, Philip Cauchi on behalf of Sun Valley Farm Operators Ltd, Joseph Chetcuti on behalf of Kit Farm, Francis Muscat on behalf of Della Grazia Farm, Raymond d'Anastasi on behalf of Tar-Remel Farm, Anthony Fenech and George Fenech on behalf of St Anthony Farm and Brian Camilleri on behalf of Golden Yolk Farm.

Lawyer Owen Bonnici acted on behalf of all the breeders.