As a young boy, Karmenu Sacco was not interested in working in his father's dairy farm because he did not like the idea of working in mud and with cows that spent days in their own dirt.
But today, a grown man with a family of his own, he helps his father Pawlu with their business after they equipped the farm to meet EU standards with the help of EU and government funds.
They set up specially-designed large sheds that house the livestock in a clean environment, built sheds to store and treat organic waste, and installed computerised systems that keep track of each and every cow's milk produce and reproductive information.
"There is a huge difference from the past and I would not want to go back... It was an expense, but it was worth it," Mr Sacco said, adding that since making the investment they have noticed a substantial increase in production.
The Saccos' dairy farm was one of several that benefited from the Meeting Standards Directive, launched in 2004, through which farmers were given financial assistance to improve their infrastructure to conform to EU regulations and meet the necessary standards.
During a visit to the Sacco farm, situated in Qrendi, Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino said the changes brought about through the directive were of benefit to the working life of farmers, animal welfare, the environment and the consumer who eventually consumed the milk.
Mr Pullicino said that in the past fortnight, 18 farms had been given a final notice to improve standards. If they failed to do so, their milk would not be accepted for production. Meanwhile, about 160 applications by farmers have been approved under the directive.
Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Frans Agius, said that over the years funds were used to help cover expenses incurred in the livestock farming process.
Since the Meeting Standards Directive was launched in 2004, two calls for applications had been issued. Between 2005 and 2006, a total of 55 farmers benefited from €765,710 (Lm328,719). In 2007, the second call was issued and 97 farmers were allocated €1.6 million (Lm693,000).
This year, the last payment of about €1.6 million (Lm705,407) would be made, covering about 10,000 livestock. This meant that by the time the measure came to an end this year, Maltese farmers would have benefited from €4 million (Lm1.7 million) in funds.
The Meeting Standards Directive also helped to reach the goals of the Nitrates Directive that comes into force on May 1. This directive aims to ensure that animal have organic waste does not harm the environment when it is absorbed into the ground.