A four page document and seven pillars: Vague Animal Welfare Directorate reform announced

An animal welfare directorate reform has been announced, but the details of the reform remain vague, apart from seven ‘pillars’ on which the strategy is based. 

The so-called ‘pillars’ are as follows: Access to accreditable Information and systems, High quality infrastructure, Effective human capital, Digital transformation to centralised systems, Clear procedures and strict operational conduct, Governance and regulatory enforcement and Public engagement and online presence.

No explanation of these ‘pillars’ was given during a press conference addressed by animal rights minister and parliamentary secretary Anton Refalo and Alicia Bugeja Said.

During the press conference, journalists were given a four-page bound document containing a title page, a list of the pillars, and a concluding page containing a new animal welfare logo.

A page containing the text: “7 strategic pillars have been identified in ensuring the successful implementation and execution of the vision and mission statements set out by the Animal Welfare Directorate for the term 2023-2026,”  was followed by the unexplained list of said pillars.

At the beginning of the press conference, parliamentary secretary Alicia Bugeja Said started by listing the directorate’s past achievements. Bugeja Said explained that in 2022, the directorate received around 5,000 requests for aid, while another 1,000 requests were received in the first quarter of the year.

“During the past year and a half,” Bugeja Said explained, “officials from the directorate carried out around 1,200 inspections in different sites.” This, she said, resulted in around 1,500 cats and 700 dogs being recovered in only 9 months by the directorate.

Despite this, the two cabinet members only spoke vaguely of the new reforms. Bugeja Said stated that after public consultation, “we have arrived at this strategy for a new reform which will radically change how we address our current shortcomings.”

“In the coming weeks, government will present a number of legal drafts to be discussed, that will ultimately strengthen the present regulatory framework,” noted Bugeja Said.

Meanwhile, minister Anton Refalo made reference to a neutering campaign that will be announced on Wednesday. Refalo also made reference to a white paper surrounding breeders and groomers that is to be introduced, but made no reference to the contents of the Animal Welfare Directorate reform.