Times of Malta has discovered slurry dumped on a planted field in the Manikata area this week, raising fresh concerns about food safety.

Photographic evidence was forwarded to the agriculture department for action to be taken. Yet, it emerged this would still not guarantee that the produce in the field in question would not reach the market for consumption.

This is because established procedures do not oblige the agriculture department to inform the environmental health department (responsible for food safety) of such breaches even when it is evident that liquid manure was dumped after seeds had been planted.

The use of slurry on agricultural fields is illegal but over the past seven weeks Times of Malta has reported the use of slurry from animal farms by some farmers as fertiliser over the past two years. The case is also of concern because crops are being grown in the field in question.

The agriculture directorate said its inspectors conducted “its on-the-spot inspection” the same morning Times of Malta alerted it to the abuse and verified the breach. It said its inspectorate would identify the farmer to see whether previous offences had occurred.

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