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Karl Schembri
The Animal Welfare Council set up three years ago is unable to take a stand on the damning government slaughterhouse reports documenting shocking cruelty on pigs and cattle as it is not functioning any longer.
The council’s chairperson and head of veterinary services, Dr Mireille Vella, told MaltaToday that several meetings were called off in the last months as not enough members were turning up for them.
“In the past months a number of meetings had to be cancelled due to lack of quorum and therefore the Council could not take a position on the said report,” she said about the EU-commissioned dossiers kept secret by the government. Revealed by MaltaToday and Maltastar, they highlight animal cruelty at the Marsa abattoir, the government farm and private chicken farms.
In an interview today, former council member and director of World Animal Conscience Marica Mizzi says that even before she resigned last June, the animal welfare council was turned into a smokescreen set up only because it was required by the EU prior to Malta’s membership.
“The reason for my resignation was that after three years on this council drafting lots of laws and regulations, lots of things I was confident would happen such as pet shops regulations and regulations for cabby horses, strays and kennels, nothing was happening,” Mizzi said. “I also felt the council was unbalanced, because the minister appointed veterinarians from the veterinary department, a chairperson from the national abattoir and just two people representing NGOs – George Manchè representing SPCA and myself. We were the only ones truly representing animal welfare interests, and we were always in a minority … Looking back, I ask myself what has really come out of all that.”
Mizzi added: “I think that in reality this council was only set up because it had to be set up, because of the European Union … But beyond its setup, the EU doesn’t seem interested in whether this council is working or not. I don’t even know if the council has met at all since I resigned.”
Despite the fact that Environment Minister George Pullicino had informed Mizzi that her resignation was not accepted, she was never called again for the meetings while Dr Vella yesterday said that she never received any resignation letters.
kschembri@mediatoday.com.mt
Interview with Marica Mizzi
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