The government should tell the public what was truly going on at the slaughterhouse incinerator, the Labour Party said, pointing out that the equipment had been out of order for a while.

Leo Brincat, the party's spokesman for the environment, said the government should give the amount of waste still to be processed and to what extent it was expected to rise until the incinerator was back in operation.

He said the government should also say what storage facilities are available for organic waste, such as animal carcasses, and whether it was thinking about taking emergency measures to incinerate clinical waste.

Mr Brincat said the government should also say when the commissioning of the incinerator would be concluded and whether such a delay was normal.

When questioned, the Rural Affairs Ministry said WasteServ would be issuing a statement, which, however, was not received.