Horse-rescue NGO Funny Farm has moved to Siġġiewi.Horse-rescue NGO Funny Farm has moved to Siġġiewi.

Horse-rescue organisation Funny Farm has moved to government-owned land in Siġġiewi after the private plot it occupied in Bidnija was no longer available.

Animal Rights Parliamentary Secretary Roderick Galdes said the government wanted to help the NGO because it believed it carried out good work by helping abandoned horses or those destined for slaughter.

Apart from caring for such animals, he said, Funny Farm opened its doors to the public through educational programmes aimed at raising animal awareness. Thus, the government was allowing the NGO, which homes 12 horses, to use abandoned stables located in an old airfield in Siġġiewi.

It carried out good work by helping abandoned horses or those destined for slaughter

Estelle Duca, on behalf of the NGO, said they were working on rehoming horses and were in the process of drawing up procedures to be followed.

Rehoming a horse was much more complex than giving a home to a cat or a dog and the organisation had to ensure the horses were being sent to places where they would be cared for adequately. She recounted the case of a stallion, Shah, that was very confident, “typical stallion-style”. However, it was neglected and not fed and, as a result, Shah lost its confidence and started shying away from mares and lowering its head in defeat. The volunteers at the Funny Farm were working to rekindle the spent spark, she said.

During a visit to the farm yesterday Mr Galdes announced that, next week, Parliament would start discussing changes to the animal welfare law that would impose harsher penalties for animal cruelty. The penalties for first-time offenders will rise from fines ranging between €500 and €30,000 to between €1,000 and €55,000. The maximum fine for relapsers will increase from €50,000 to €80,000. The changes will also give more powers to animal welfare officers by allowing them to confiscate animals at risk and carry out inspections, among other things.

The role of the Animal Welfare Commissioner will be created and animal circuses will be banned.

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