The authorities, including the Office of the President, endorsed keeping protected animals illegally at Montekristo Estates by visiting and holding activities there, Mario Galea (PN) said yesterday.
He was speaking during the parliamentary debate on the budget of the Ministry for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change.
Criticising the track record of the Parliamentary Secretariat for Animal Rights, Mr Galea quipped that one might be tempted to think that the secretariat was responsible for animal warfare, not welfare.
Defending his performance, Parliamentary Secretary Roderick Galdes spoke about efforts to improve animal welfare, including the strengthening of the operations of the San Franġisk Animal Welfare Centre at Ta’ Qali.
Mr Galdes pledged that an investigation would be launched if Mr Galea furnished information on what he said about rumours of an illegal slaughterhouse in Żebbuġ that could lead to uncertified meat entering the food chain.
Both sides agreed on the need for the environment to be mainstreamed. Environment Minister Leo Brincat said that mainstreaming was the key to ensure that good intentions became concrete actions and Godfrey Farrugia (PL) insisted that “every minister should be a minister for environment”.
Pointing out that all ministries should collaborate with the Environment Minister, Marlene Farrugia (PL) opined that environment was still considered a commodity, used by political parties to score electoral victories. She proposed a parliamentary commission, including experts and NGOs, to develop a long-term vision for this sector, giving paramount importance to citizens’ welfare.
The internal restructuring of Wasteserv would continue
Capacity issues were discussed and Ryan Callus (PN) noted that the post of environment director had been vacant for over two years. He expressed his hope that the new appointee would perform in an independent manner and seek the common good.
Mr Brincat replied that the recruitment process for the new environment regulatory authority was at an advanced stage. One of next year’s priorities was the setting up and the proper resourcing of the authority to work towards a quality leap in environmental protection. The other challenge was improved waste management.
The internal restructuring of Wasteserv would continue. The commercial use of civic amenity sites, originally designed to serve domestic purposes, should stop. Likewise, the confusion with regard to the localities-based management of bring-in sites could not continue. The analysis of the waste-to-energy and waste export possibilities had to be concluded.
The Opposition spokesman for the environment, Marthese Portelli, criticised the government for its “lack of political will” to give environment the priority it deserved. She said the introduction of the feasibility concept in the Spatial Plan for Environment and Development (SPED) opened the door to abuse and interpretation.
Dr Portelli said such a mistaken approach led to the claim that ODZ land was less valuable. As an example she mentioned the claim that using ODZ land at Żonqor made the proposed project “feasible”.
The Opposition’s suggestion that public ODZ land should be valued similar to land within scheme sought to address the prevailing situation and highlight the fact that this land had great value.
This year had been a game changer for the environment, according to Charlo Bonnici (PN). The spring hunting referendum and grassroots reactions following the project proposed for Żonqor highlighted the robust desire for environmental sustainability and protection.
The need for agriculture to be updated to today’s market dynamics was raised by both Mr Galdes and Anthony Bezzina (PN). The latter complained that the Rural Development Plan that was due in January 2014 had not yet published.
Mr Galdes said the process on the plan lasted longer than planned as more consultation was sought to avoid problems later on. Moreover, a long-term national agriculture strategy was being drawn up and a consultation process would take place shortly.
Silvio Parnis (PL) focused on the environmental challenges being faced by the south of Malta.