I refer to the letter by Joseph J. Xuereb (May 5) Mepa’s Two Weights And Two Measures On Pollution, and would like to express strongly my objections to various misleading assertions – to say the least.

The dairy farm in San Ġwann, to which Mr Xuereb is making reference, belongs to my family. This farm has been in operation in this place since 1968 and was the source of livelihood to my grandfather and my father – three generations.

The dairy farm is not situated in a development zone and is covered by all the necessary permits from the relevant authorities including the Malta Environment and Planning Authority. It is the encroachment of residences mentioned by Mr Xuereb that came near the farm in recent years – and not the other way round. Dairy producers also have a right to protect their livelihood and investment.

Mr Xuereb states that dairy farms are a source of pollution to the environment. On the contrary, our farm, like most of the other dairy farms in Malta and Gozo, has been upgraded to be compliant and approved to meet EU standards and regulations – particularly hygiene, food safety, animal welfare and most important the environment. To upgrade the farm to meet these standards, my family, like most other dairy farmers, had to invest hundreds of thousands of euros, and this not without tremendous financial burdens and risks to our families.

As to Mr Xuereb’s reference to the substantial grant from the EU, he may not know that my family had to fork out more than two-thirds of the whole investment. Moreover, EU assistance is only paid on condition the farm has been properly upgraded not to be a source of pollution to the environment. Definitely in itself this is a reply to Mr Xuereb’s misleading assertion.

Finally, readers may wish to know that apart from the Mepa permit, dairy farms are regularly inspected by the relevant authorities to ensure compliance. Nowadays, various dairy farms are also open to visitors – families, schoolchildren, politicians, journalists and even foreigners. All these have words of praise and admiration for the upgrading that has taken place to make our farms modern and second to none.

Finally, instead of misleading and discouraging assertions, milk producers deserve all the support for their strenuous efforts and dedication to guarantee to the Maltese population top-quality fresh milk every day.