New guidelines on hygiene, transportation and packaging for fish hawkers are not practical and could lead to some of the hawkers having to close down, according to Labour Party spokesman for fishing Joseph Sammut.

The guidelines, launched on August 18, lay down new hygiene requirements, the type of ice needed to keep fish fresh, packaging, processing and transportation methods as well as the keeping of correct documentation.

Dr Sammut claimed the guidelines could be interpreted in such a way that as soon as the fish hawker left the fish market, known as the pixkerija, he was automatically breaking the law.

“The guidelines were written without consultation and are devoid of practicality which even the EU realises the need for in this industry,” the Labour spokesman said, referring to the EU regulations which state that guidelines need to be “practical for the sector they refer to”.

Although the Labour Party agreed that a high level of protection for the consumer was needed, it said it could not support “unrealistic measures aimed only at depriving families of their livelihood and intended to serve larger companies and lead to a decrease in competition”.

The Parliamentary Secretariat for Consumer Affairs said the new guidelines established good practices and high levels of hygiene that needed to be observed. These would benefit both the hawkers and the consumers.

The consultation process, the secretariat said, lasted two years and involved about 30 hours of meetings with the participation of fish hawkers. Labour’s criticism of the guidelines proved the consumer was not a priority to it.