Bleat streets... Siggiewi is the sheep and goat capital of Malta

Rural Siġġiewi is home to the largest herds of sheep and goats, according to figures tabled in parliament recently.

The locality in Malta’s western region is home to 100 farms that collectively house 1,225 registered sheep and 467 goats.

But the figures also throw up some quirky numbers for the more urban areas. A single goat is registered in Valletta and another one in Sliema. In Bormla, two goats and one sheep are registered, while a single sheep can be found in Pietà.

These are highly urbanised localities with no farms, which suggests that these animals are probably kept as pets. However, the law still requires such animals to be registered with the Veterinary Services Directorate.

The figures show that the second largest population of goats after Siġgiewi is found in Xewkija with 428 distributed among 81 farms, followed by Żejtun with 324 goats in 88 farms.

After Siġġiewi, the largest population of sheep is found in Rabat with 927 distributed on 110 farms, followed by Żurrieq with 777 sheep on 80 farms. The Gozitan locality with the highest number of sheep is Nadur with 656 distributed on 81 farms.

The statistics were tabled by Agriculture Minister Anton Refalo in reply to questions by Opposition spokesperson Toni Bezzina.

By mid-June there were 13,765 sheep and 5,643 goats kept in 1,708 farms across Malta and Gozo. These farms include the premises in Valletta, Sliema, Pieta and Bormla that house singular animals.

A breakdown of figures shows that in Gozo, famed for its ġbejniet, there were 4,362 sheep and 1,476 goats distributed across 496 farms.