Ħarsien tal-annimali fl-irziezet

Fl-2018, il-Qorti Ewropeja tal-Awdituri iffinalizzat investigazzjoni dwar il-ħarsien tal-annimali fl-irżiezet fl-Unjoni Ewropeja. Fir-rapport finali, intitolat Animal Welfare in the EU: closing the gap between ambitious goals and practical implementation ikkonkludiet li filwaqt li kien hemm progress sostanzjali biex ikun indirizzat it-tħassib tal-utenti, għad hemm in-nuqqasijiet. Hemm lok biex nitgħallmu ferm iktar minn dak li sar s’issa biex jitwettqu l-miri strateġiċi dwar il-ħarsien tal-annimali fl-irziezet tal-Unjoni Ewropeja.

Meta kienet qed tiġi mfassla id-Direttiva imsejħa Mill-Għalqa sal-Platt, il-Kummissjoni Ewropeja ikkommettiet ruħha li sa’ tmiem l-2023 tfassal reviżjoni tal-leġislazzjoni dwar il-ħarsien tal-annimali fl-irziezet.

Il-liġi Ewropeja tirregola l-ħarsien tal-annimali fl-irziezet fi tlett stadji differenti: fir-razzett innifsu, huma u jkunu trasportati minn post għall-ieħor, u fil-proċess tal-qatla.

L-ewwel pass li sar mill-Kummissjoni Ewropeja hu li ġew eżaminati l-liġijiet kollha applikabbli dwar il-ħarsien tal-annimali fl-irziezet, eżami li hu msejjaħ fitness check.  Lesta rapport twil 310 paġna dwar dan. Fih jirreferu ukoll għall-firem miġbura  fl-inizjattiva minn ċittadini Ewropej magħrufa bħala “Tmien iż-żmien tal-gaġġa”. Inizjattiva li sabet appoġġ qawwi mill-Parlament Ewropew.

Wieħed mill-kandidati approvati riċentment għall-elezzjoni tal-Parlament Ewropew ipponta subgħajh lejn waħda mill-miżuri li tissemma fir-rapport dwar il-qagħda attwali tal-ħarsien tal-annimali fl-irziezet. Jidentifika t-tiġieġ tal-bajd b’emfasi fuq il-gaġeġ li qed jintużaw bħalissa, u jekk u meta dawn jistgħu  jkunu pprojibiti, bl-impatt possibli fuq l-industrija lokali tal-bajd.   Huwa ġustament jemfasizza li meta l-Unjoni Ewropeja eventwalment tfassal il-proposti tagħha għandha tassigura ruħha li l-impatti antiċipati tal-proposti jkunu mkejla anke f’xenarju bħal dak lokali fejn l-irziezet huma żgħar u l-art hi għolja.

Huwa ta’ importanza kbira li dawn l-impatti jkunu mkejla sewwa. Hekk isir normalment f’sitwazzjonijiet bħal dawn u nittamaw li dan il-kaz ma jkunx eċċezzjoni.

Fil-fatt, studju li jkejjel l-impatt tal-ideat tal-Kummissjoni Ewropeja dwar il-ħarsien tal-annimali fl-irziezet, imfassal f’Lulju 2021, jemfasizza li l-kundizzjonijiet li fihom jista’ jkun ipprojibit l-użu tal-gageg ikun studjat mhux biss fl-interess tal-annimali infushom imma ukoll tal-interessi ekonomiċiu u soċjali tal-komunità agrikola fl-Unjoni. Dan jinkludi impatt fuq irziezet żgħar, impatti internazzjonali kif ukoll impatti fuq il-kummerċ u fuq l-ambjent. B’mod partikolari ser ikun ikkunsidrat li l-proposti jidħlu fis-seħħ fl- 2027 u dan wara li jitqies kull appoġġ meħtieġ lill-bidwi – mhux biss dik finanzjarja. Dan kollu jfisser li s’issa jidher li ser jitqiesu ċ-ċirkustanzi u l-impatti fuq kulħadd, inkluż tal-irziezet iż-żgħar!

Dak li ntqal dwar it-tiġieġ tal-bajd japplika għall-oqsma l-oħra kollha fejn tinħtieġ il-ħarsien aħjar tal-annimali fis-settur agrikolu. Dan hu meħtieġ li jsir biex aħna bħala pajjiż inkunu kapaċi li nkunu aħna stess li ntejbu l-prattiċi tagħna,  mhux noqgħodu nistennew lil ħaddieħor jgħidilna x’għandna nagħmlu.  

Id-Dipartiment tal-Agrikultura għandu jieħu l-inizjattiva dwar dan. Anke l-Kummissarju għall-Ħarsien tal-Annimali għandha rwol f’dan id-dibattitu nazzjonali tant meħtieġ għall-ħarsien tal-annimali fl-irziezet.

Ikun ferm aħjar kieku is-settur agrikolu jkun kapaċi jorganizza ruħu aħjar biex ikun f’posizzjoni li jkun proattiv u mhux reattiv fil-qasam tal-inizjattivi meħtieġa dwar il-ħarsien tal-annimali fl-irziezet.

F’pajjiżi oħra dak li jiġri riżultat ta’ verifiki settorjali, amministrati u ffinanzjati b’mod adegwat.

 It-tibdil ippjanat fil-liġijiet tal-Unjoni Ewropeja dwar l-annimali fl-irziezet ilna nafu li ġej. Flok ma noqgħodu nistennew li dan jiġri, jkun iktar għaqli jekk inħejju ruħna. Jekk ma nagħmlux hekk ma nistgħu nwaħħlu f’ħadd għal dak li jista’ jinqala’.

ippubblikat fuq Illum: 26 ta’ Frar 2023

Fil-Parlament il-lejla: x’faqar!

Smajtuh id-dibattitu tal-lejla fil-Parlament dwar is-sentenza tal-Qorti tal-ġimgħa l-oħra?

X’faqar! X’mistħija ta’ Parlament!

Il-pajjiż jixraqlu ferm aħjar minn hekk!

It-taħwida hi kbira: flok “world class medical system” għandna kaz ta’ “world class fraud” li nħolqot minn Vitals Global Healthcare u Steward Health Care u mill-Gvern Laburista.

S’issa insterqu €300 miljun!

Għadu kmieni biex wieħed jgħid x’ser jiġri u dan sakemm jinqata’ l-appell, jekk ikun hemm.

Jinħtieġu tweġibiet diversi.

Meta ser jibdew l-investigazzjonijiet mill-Pulizija fil-konfront ta’ dawk involuti? Il-Pulizija sfortunatament mhemmx ħosshom! Fejn hu l-Kummissarju tal-Pulizija Angelo Gafà?

Robert Abela, Konrad Mizzi, Edward Scicluna, Chris Cardona, Keith Schembri u Joseph Muscat: meta ser jintalbu jwieġbu ta’ egħmilhom, jew tan-nuqqas tiegħu?

Il-membri tal-Kabinett immexxi minn Joseph Muscat: ħadd ma jaf xejn. Wieħed iwaħħal fl-ieħor. Kellna Ministru tal-Finanzi (Edward Scicluna) li ma kienx jaf x’inhu jigri fil-Ministeru tieghu!

Chris Fearne min-naħa l-oħra, ħlief għal xi botta, kien kawta ħafna! Hu imħasseb dwar x’inhu ġej!

Il-parti l-kbira tal-membri tal-Kabinett ta’ Joseph Muscat baqgħu fommhom magħluq. Ħlief Varist Bartolo, li bħas-soltu jibqa’ jdur mal-lewża.

Hemm responsabbiltà politika kbira. Hemm ukoll responsabbiltajiet kriminali. Min ser iwieġeb? S’issa ħadd ma wieġeb.

Robert Abela kien skomdu ħafna huwa u jipprova jwieġeb waqt is-seduta Parlamentari tal-lejla. Inevitabilment ħarab mis-sustanza tal-argument. Sa ċertu punt wieħed dan jifhmu għax il-konsegwenzi mhumiex żgħar u għandu bżonn iż-żmien.

Għad nispiċċaw li jkollna ninvestgaw kull kuntratt li ngħata minn dan il-Gvern. Ħadma, waħda wara l-oħra.

Din hi storja li għad trid tinkiteb fid-dettall. Fl-aħħar, kull min hu responsabbli jrid iħallas ta’ egħmilu.

The welfare of farm animals

The European Court of Auditors, in 2018, concluded an investigation into animal welfare in the European Union. In its report, entitled Animal Welfare in the EU: closing the gap between ambitious goals and practical implementation it concluded that while substantial progress had been registered in addressing stakeholders’ concerns, weaknesses still persist.  There is scope for a better assessment of lessons learnt when examining how strategic objectives on animal welfare are being implemented across the European Union.

When the EU Farm to Fork Directive was being drawn up, the EU Commission committed itself to a revision of its farm animal welfare legislation by the end of this year.

EU legislation on farmed animals regulates their welfare at three different stages: at a farm level, during their transport as well as during their slaughter.

The first step undertaken by the European Commission was in drawing up of a fitness check of existing EU farm animal welfare legislation. The resulting 310-page report deals with most aspects of EU animal welfare legislation. It also refers to the European Citizens’ Initiative known as The End of Cage Age supported also by the European Parliament.

One of the recently approved MEP election candidates in Malta deemed it appropriate to point his finger at one of a multitude of issues raised in this fitness report of EU farm animal welfare legislation. He identified the issue of egg-laying hens with particular emphasis on the cages currently in use, whether and when these will be banned and the impact of such a decision on the local egg industry. He rightly emphasised that when the EU eventually proceeds to draft its proposals on this matter it should ensure that assessment of the impacts of these proposals on a scenario similar to the local one is not missed. The issues of small farms and high cost of land uptake are basic considerations which cannot be ignored when considering the impacts of any revision.

Properly assessing such impacts is of paramount importance. This is what is normally done in such situations, and we earnestly hope that this specific case will not be an exception!

In fact, an inception impact assessment on the EU Commission’s plans on farm animal welfare, drawn up in July 2021, emphasises that: “The conditions for the prohibition of cage systems will be studied, taking into account animal welfare benefits, the social and economic needs of the farming sector in the EU, including of small farms, the international dimension, including trade aspects, and environmental aspects. In particular, this will assess the feasibility of working towards the proposed legislation entering into force from 2027 taking into account the support to farmers in this transition – financially and otherwise.” So far this is anything but a one-size fits all attitude!

The arguments raised with reference to egg-laying hens should be taken up in respect of all areas of animal welfare in the agricultural sector. This should be done in order to identify whether, as a country, we ought to wait for others to review our practices and shortcomings or else whether we should take the initiative ourselves to improve the welfare of farm animals, without any prompting.

The Department of Agriculture should take the initiative. Even the Commissioner for Animal Welfare has a role to play in the national debate on the welfare of farm animals.

Would it not be much better if the local agricultural sector reorganises itself adequately, such that it can be proactive rather than reactive in all issues of farm animal welfare initiatives?

This is what sectoral auditing, if properly funded and managed, leads to, in other jurisdictions.

The revision of EU farm animal legislation has been on the cards for quite some time. Instead awaiting its happening it would be much better if we start adequate preparation. If we are once more unprepared, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

published in The Malta Independent on Sunday : 26 February 2023

Mill-kċina ta’ Joseph

Issa għandna deċiżjoni tal-Qorti li tħassar il-ftehim li bih sptarijiet għaddew għand ta’ Vitals Global Healtcare u wara għand Steward Health Care.

Tinten l-istorja, qaltilna l-Qorti. Konna ilna ngħiduh dan u ma hi tal-ebda konsolazzjoni li l-Qorti qablet magħna.

Joseph qed jgħidilna li ma hemm xejn li jħammarlu wiċċu. Id-deċiżjonijiet ħadhom il-Kabinett, qalilna. Ma ħadhomx waħdu!

Mhux hekk qalu sħabu, iżda! Fearne jidher sodisfatt bid-deċiżjoni. Ilu jgħid li d-deċiżjonijiet ittiehdu wara dahru. Tiftakru meta Edward Scicluna tkellem dwar il-Kitchen Cabinet ta’ Joseph. Tiftakru kemm kien ilmenta li l-Gvern ta’ Joseph kien jitmexxa mill-Kitchen Cabinet? Jiġifieri mill-klikka ta’ dawk ta’ madwaru?

Anke Varist dalgħodu ħareġ jattakka dan l-argument ta’ Joseph! Il-Kabinett kien imwarrab, qal Varist! Dam jaħsibha ftit biex jitkellem!

It-taħwid li dwaru iddeċidiet il-Qorti sar fil-kċina ta’ Joseph. Fil-Kitchen Cabinet. U bħal dejjem, min ħawwad fil-borma jkun jaf x’fiha, anke jekk mir-riħa jkollna idea tajba x’kien hemm! Safejn hu magħruf, fil-kċina Joseph ma kienx ikun waħdu. Miegħu kien ikollu lil Keith il-Kasco Schembri, Konrad Mizzi u oħrajn. Xi darba insiru nafu l-ismijiet kollha.

Hemm bżonn tindifa tajba. Sfortunatament Anġlu Gafà mhux kapaċi jagħmilha. Għalhekk inħatar!

Lejn politika dwar is-sigurtà meħtieġa fl-enerġija

Il-politika ta’ Malta dwar l-enerġija teħtieġ li tassigura li jkollna l-enerġija elettrika li neħtieġu u li din, safejn hu possibli ma tkunx dipendenti fuq wisq fatturi varjabbli.

Nhar l-Erbgħa, għal darb’oħra kellna qtugħ fil-provista tal-elettriku fil-parti l-kbira tal-pajjiż.  Kien qtugħ li ma damx għax il-ħaddiema tal-Enemalta, b’dedikazzjoni, solvew il-problema f’qasir żmien.  Imma, sal-ħin li qed nikteb dak li wassal għall-qtugħ tal-provista tal-elettriku għadu mhux magħruf.

Dan seħħ wara qtugħ ieħor nhar l-10 ta’ Frar, qtugħ li kien ferm iktar mifrux. Dakinnhar konna infurmati li kien hemm il-problemi ġejjin mill- interconnector tal-enerġija elettrika bejn Malta u Sqallija.

Waqt il-maltempata li ħakmet il-gżejjer Maltin il-ġimgħa l-oħra, it-tanker tal-gass kien skunnettjat għal xi siegħat bħala miżura ta’ prewkazzjoni, biex ikunu evitati inċidenti u ħsara. F’dan il-ħin kritiku, minn Delimara ma ħadniex farka elettriku għax il-gass kien skunnettjat. Riżultat ta’ dan konna dipendenti għal kollox fuq l-interconnector ma’ Sqallija għall-elettriku f’dak il-ħin.  Huwa f’dan il-kuntest li għal kważi sagħtejn sħaħ l-interconnector ma kienx qed jiffunzjona: l-parti l-kbira tal-gżejjer Maltin kienu bla elettriku, simultanjament la kien qed jaħdem l-interconnector u l-anqas il-power station ta’ Delimara! Dik sigurta!

L-incidenti jseħħu l-ħin kollu. Dak li ġara, iżda, ma jistax ikun deskritt bħala incident. Kien il-konsegwenza loġika tal-politika dwar il-ġenerazzjoni tal-enerġija f’dawn il-gżejjer. Hu riżultat tal-fiduċja għamja fl-interconnector li wasslitna għal dipendenza sħiħa fuqu. Tant din il-fiduċja għamja rabbiet għeruq fondi li issa qed jippjanaw it-tieni interconnector biex issa jassiguraw li nkunu għal kollox dipendenti fuqhom. Flok ma jnaqqas id-dipendenza fil-qasam tal-enerġija dan il-Gvern qed jippjana li jżidha!

Min qed jaqra bla dubju jiftakar dwar id-drabi li ankri tal-vapuri għamlu ħsara lill-interconnector tal-enerġija bejn Malta u Sqallija. Dan seħħ ftit il-barra mill-kosta ta’ Sqallija meta tanker li jtajjar il-bandiera ta’ Singapore bl-isem Di Matteo ikkawża ħsara kbira fl-interconnector fl-2019 ftit il-barra minn Ragusa. Dan seħħ ukoll ftit il-barra minn mal-kosta ta’ Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq meta il-vapur Chem P kważi nkalja f’Marzu 2022. L-ankra tiegħu tkaxkret ma’ qiegħ il-baħar u anke dakinnhar saret ħsara sostanzjali lill-interconnector.

L-interconnector hu kalamita għal dawn l-inċidenti, kemm fl-ibħra Maltin kif ukoll f’dawk Sqallin. Bit-traffiku marittimu li hawn f’dawn l-inħawi, dawn l-inċidenti ser jibqgħu jigru. Ftit li xejn jistgħu jkunu evitati

Ħadd f’sensieh ma għandu jippjana t-twettieq ta’politika enerġetika dipendenti fuq sitwazzjoni bħal din. Imma dan hu eżattament dak li ġara: hekk ippjanaw, u hekk wettqu l-gvernijiet Maltin, wieħed wara l-ieħor!   Sfortunatament l-istat attwali tal-politika tal-enerġija ta’ Malta hi riżultat ta’ din il-kwalità ta’ tmexxija ħażina. L-insulti u l-kliem dispreġġjattiv waqt is-seduti Parlamentari ma jsolvu xejn.

Fir-realtà hu irrelevanti jekk l-interconnector żviluppax il-ħsara minħabba li kien qed jintuża żżejjed inkella jekk żviluppax il-ħsara riżultat ta’ xi ħaġa oħra. Ir-realtà li irridu niffaċċjaw hi li l-qtugħ tad-dawl qed ikun frekwenti u li dan mhux aċċettabbli.

L-ispiża biex tissewwa l-ħsara li ġarrab l- interconnector hi waħda sostanzjali. Imma din mhi xejn ħdejn il-ħsara li qed issir lill-ekonomija tal-pajjiż u lir-reputazzjoni tiegħu riżultat ta’politika tal-enerġija bla sens.  

Jeħtieġ li nifhmu li huwa mportanti li nagħtu l-attenzjoni xierqa lill-politika dwar l-enerġija. It-tieni   interconnector m’għandniex bżonnu! Minflok neħtieġu li nintensifikaw il-ħidma biex tiżdied il-ġenerazzjoni ta’ enerġija rinovabbli. Hu meħtieġ ukoll li naċċelleraw ix-xogħol li qieġhed isir biex tissaħħaħ is-sistema tad-distribuzzjoni tal-elettriku għax dan jagħmilha possibli li niġġeneraw iktar enerġija rinovabbli minn fuq il-bjut tad-djar tagħna.  Sakemm is-sistema tad-distribuzzjoni tal-elettriku tissaħħaħ, dan il-potenzjal huwa limitat.

Proġetti kbar immirati biex tkun iġġenerata iktar enerġija rinovabbli permezz ta’ iktar investiment jistgħu jimxu id f’id ma’proġetti żgħar fuq il-bjut tad-djar tagħna. Jekk dan isir sewwa nistgħu mmorru lil hinn mill-mira li hemm fl-abbozz tal-istrateġija nazzjonali dwar l-iżvilupp sostenibbli li  b’mod inspjegabbli tillimata is-sehem tal-enerġija rinovabbli għall-11.5 fil-mija tal-enerġija li nużaw. Għandna bżonn li jkollna miri ferm iktar ambizzjużi minn hekk!  Mira ta’ 50 fil-mija għall-enerġja rinovabbli fuq perjodu ta’ għaxar snin tkun ferm iktar addattata għal dak li neħtieġu bħala pajjiż. Bla miri ambizzjużi ftit hemm ċans li nilħqu l-mira ta’ newtralità fl-emissjonijiet tal-karbonju sal-2050.

Meta jimmaterjalizza l-pipeline tal-gass li jkun jista’ jintuża ukoll biex nużw l-idroġenu, dan, waħdu ma jkunx biżżejjed biex nilħqu l-miri meħtieġa fit-triq għan-newtralita karbonika.

Il-Gvernijiet Maltin, fil-passat kienu kuntenti jħabbru li rnexxielhom jinnegozjaw tnaqqis fil-mira ta’ Malta dwar il-ġenerazzjoni ta’ enerġija rinovabbli minn 20 għal 10 fil-mija.  Issa irridu “ngawdu” l-piż ta’ din il-politika bla viżjoni fit-tul, politika mijopika. Jekk ma nibdlux ir-rotta ma nistgħux nimxu l-quddiem lejn politika realistika li tassigura s-sigurtà tal-provista tal-enerġija tagħna fost oħrajn billi telimina d-dipendenza li għandna fuq l-interconnector bejn Malta u Sqallija, kemm dak li għandna kif ukoll dak ipproġettat.

Towards a much-needed energy security policy

Malta’s energy policy must necessarily ensure that we have a constant supply of electrical energy which, as far as is reasonable, is not dependable on too many variable factors.

On Wednesday morning for the umpteenth time, we had an unplanned power cut across the islands. It was brief as Enemalta’s dedicated labour force restored power in a short time. At the time of writing the cause of the power cut is still unknown.

This follows another power cut, much more widespread, on 10 February, when, we were informed that there were problems with the Malta-Sicily energy interconnector.

During the storm which battered the Maltese islands last week the LNG tanker was temporarily out of action for a number of hours as a safety precaution. During this critical time the electricity normally supplied by the Delimara power station had to be made good for by the interconnector. It is within this context, the interconnector, was, for around two long hours inoperative with a large part of the islands being without electricity, as neither the interconnector nor the Delimara power station were functioning simultaneously. How is that for energy security?

Accidents do happen. This was however no accident! It was the logical consequence of the politics of energy generation in these islands. It is a case of trusting too much the interconnector and being dependent on it. This misplaced trust is so much ingrained in the local political set-up that a second interconnector is planned: this will ensure that we are completely dependent on the interconnectors. Instead of reducing energy dependency government strives to increase it!

Readers would undoubtedly remember the number of times ship anchors have damaged the energy interconnector between Malta and Sicily. It happened off the coast of Sicily when the anchors of the Singaporean flagged tanker Di Matteo caused extensive damage to the interconnector in December 2019 off the Ragusa coast. It also happened just off the Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq coast when the vessel Chem P almost ran aground in March 2022. It dragged its anchor along the seabed causing extensive damage to the interconnector in the process.

The interconnector is clearly accident prone, both in Maltese waters as well as in the Sicilian Channel. Due to the substantial maritime traffic in the region, these accidents will inevitably re-occur.

No one in his right senses would plan the implementation of an energy policy dependent on these factors. But this is just what successive Maltese governments have planned and implemented. Unfortunately, the current state of Malta’s energy policy is the direct result of its mismanagement. The trading of insults across the parliamentary chamber will not solve anything.

Its immaterial whether the interconnector tripped as a result of being overloaded or whether it developed a fault as a result of something else. The net result is that power stoppage is becoming to frequent an occurrence, and this is unacceptable.

The expense incurred in repairs to the interconnector are substantial. This is however insignificant when compared to the damage which is being inflicted on our economy and on the country’s reputation as a result of a myopic energy policy.

We need to get our energy priorities right very quickly. Plans for a second interconnector should be scrapped the soonest. Instead, the current drive to increase the generation of renewable energy should be intensified. Likewise, we should accelerate the reinforcement of our electricity distribution system as this would make it possible to increase the generation of renewable energy from the rooftops of our dwellings. This potential is currently capped as a result of a distribution system which cannot handle the increased electricity load which would be generated as a result of a larger input of renewable energy from our households.

Macro-projects aimed at generating more renewable energy as a result of business investment can co-exist with micro-projects handled by our households. If this is done properly, maybe we can go much further then projected in the draft National Sustainable Development Strategy which mysteriously has us anchored at an “11.5 per cent share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption”. We need more ambitious targets than that! Achieving a 50 per cent target for renewable energy generation over a ten-year timeframe would be more suitable to our needs and requirements. Without ambitious targets we will never achieve the 2050 carbon neutrality objective.

The projected pipeline which, when it materialises could possibly be used to switch over from LNG to hydrogen will, on its own be insufficient in the march towards carbon neutrality.

Maltese governments have in the past years been happy in announcing successful negotiations in reducing EU renewable energy targets applicable to Malta from 20 to 10 per cent. We are now shouldering the consequences of that myopic policy. It is about time that we change course. Only then can we move steadfastly towards a realistic policy which ensures our energy security, shedding in the process our dependence on the existing and projected interconnectors between Malta and Sicily.

published on The Malta Independent on Sunday: 19 February 2023

Peter Agius inkwetat dwar il-bajd

Id-dibattitu dwar il-ħarsien tal-annimali huwa wieħed importanti dejjem, mhux biss meta jaqbel. Huwa importanti ukoll anke meta ma jaqbilx. Anke meta ninqarsu finanzjarjament.

Il-proposta li qed tinħema biex it-tiġieġ ma jinżammux fil-gaġeġ mhiex waħda ġdida. Li t-tiġieġ ma jinħaqrux hu importanti daqskemm hu importanti li ma jinħaqrux il-klieb u l-qtates u ż-żwiemel! Meta tiġieġa tinżamm ħajjitha kollha f’gaġġa tkun qed tinħaqar.

Fl-industrija diġa hemm min hu konxju ta’ dan u jrabbi t-tiġieġa bi spazju fejn jiġru: free range jgħidulhom. Anke Malta għandna min irabbi t-tiġieġ għall-bajd b’dan il-mod.

Il-proposta teffettwa l-produzzjoni fuq skala industrijali tal-bajd. Fil-prattika tfisser bosta iktar spejjes u jista’ jkun li tagħmilha diffiċli li f’Malta nibqgħu nipproduċu l-bajd fuq skala industrijali . Anke l-prodott jiġi jiswa iktar, madwar id-doppju!

6 bajdied prodotti minn tiġieġ fil-gaġeġ f’Malta bħalissa jixtraw bejn €1.25 u  €1.50. Dawk prodotti minn tiġieġ free-range jiswew madwar €2.25 għal kull 6 bajdied.

Bla dubju l-proposta jkollha effett kemm fuq il-bdiewa li jrabbu t-tiġieġ għall bajd kif ukoll  fuq l-għoli tal-ħajja u dan għax il-prodott li nixtru jiġi jiswa’ iktar.

Irridu pero nifhmu x’qed ngħidu: din hi proposta biex tonqos il-moħqrija tal-annimali. Li qed jgħid Peter Agius hu li għalih f’dawn iċ-ċirkustanzi l-moħqrija tal-annimali hi ġustifikata!

Peter: ma naqblux!

Il-prezz tal-lum tal-bajd li nixtru hu baxx imma jħallsu għalih it-tiġieġ għaliex jinħaqru. Xorta jista’ jkollna l-bajd, imma mingħajr ma jinħaqru it-tiġieġ.

Hemm bżonn ħafna iktar ħidma biex tonqos u possibilment tkun eliminata kompletament il-moħqrija tal-annimali.

X’ser inħallu warajna?

Jekk irridu nirreġistraw progress, il-legat li ser inħallu warajna lill-ġenerazzjonijiet futuri jeħtieġ li jkun bosta aħjar minn dak li ħallewlna dawk li ġew qabilna. It-triq meħtieġa biex nirreġistraw dan il-progress għandha tkun il-mira tal-istrateġija dwar l-iżvilupp sostenibbli li sa nhar il-Ħamis li għadda kienet soġġetta għall-konsultazzjoni pubblika.

Roman Krznaric, fil-ktieb riċenti tiegħu The Good Ancestor jistaqsina mistoqsija diretta: “X’legat ser inħallu lill-ġenerazzjonijiet futuri? Ser ikunilhom ta’ għajnuna, jew ser ikissirhom?”  Hi mistoqsija li neħtieġu nwieġbu għaliha aħna ukoll, kuljum.

Il-politika dwar l-iżvilupp sostenibbli tfittex li tagħti tweġiba sura għal din il-mistoqsija. Jekk titmexxa sewwa, din il-poltika tista’ tagħti libsa xierqa lill-futur u dan bħala riżultat ta’ ħidma responsabbli li issir illum.  Dan isir billi nassiguraw li l-ħtiġijiet tagħna illum nissodisfawhom mingħajr ma nikkompromettu l-possibiltà li anke l-ġenerazzjonijiet futuri jkun possibli għalihom li huma ukoll ikunu f’posizzjoni li jissodifaw il-ħtiġijiet tagħhom.

Dan, fi ftit kliem, jiddependi fuq kemm aħna kapaċi nħarsu fit-tul, il-bogħod, f’dinja li kontinwament tikkostrinġina naħsbu u naġixxu f’termini ta’ mil-lum għal għada. Anzi, jgħidulna “għada min raħ?”

Il-Gvernijiet, minkejja l-ħafna paroli tagħhom, ftit li xejn jagħtu importanza lill-iżvilupp sostenibbli propju minħabba li din mhiex dwar illum, iżda iktar dwar għada u lil hinn minnu.  Hi dwar kif il-ħidma tal-lum ma tkunx ta’ preġudizzju għall-ġenerazzjonijiet futuri. Il-politiku ma jagħtix biżżejjed kaz ta’ dan għax l-interess tiegħu ħafna drabi ma jwassalx iktar minn ħames snin: jiġifieri kemm hemm żmien bejn elezzjoni u oħra.  Jeħtieġ li nippjanaw ħafna iktar fit-tul, fl-interess tal-ġenerazzjonijiet futuri.

Dan il-punt ġie sottolinejat minn Gro Harlem Brundtland li kienet fi żmien Prim Ministru soċjal-demokratiku tan-Norveġja. Dan għamlitu fir-rapport influwenti li ħejjiet fl-1987 għall-Ġnus Magħquda bit-titlu: Our Common Future. F’dan ir-rapport, fost oħrajn, hi emfasizzat li “Naġixxu b’dan il-mod għax naħsbu li nistgħu neħilsuha ħafif: il-ġenerazzjonijiet futuri ma jivvutawx; la għandhom poter politiku u l-anqas poter finanzjarju; mhumiex f’posizzjoni li jikkontestaw id-deċiżjonijiet tagħna.” (We act as we do because we can get away with it: future generations do not vote; they have no political or financial power; they cannot challenge our decisions.)

Dan kollu joħroġ ċar mill-kuntrast bejn dak li jipproponi (jew li jħalli barra) l-abbozz ta’ strateġija għall-iżvilupp sostenibbli u l-politika attwali u l-ħidma fil-prattika tal-Gvern.

Ħarsu per eżempju lejn il-politika dwar it-trasport.

L-istrateġija proposta titkellem fit-tul dwar viżjoni u oġġettivi biex jiżdied l-użu tat-trasport pubbliku. Tidentifika mira għall-2030 biex jonqos in-numru ta’ dawk li jsuqu l-karozzi b’41 fil-mija meta dan ikun imqabbel maċ-ċifri tal-1990.

Kliem dan li ħadd ma’ jista’ jemmnu, iktar u iktar meta wieħed iqabblu mal-ħidma f’direzzjoni kompletament opposta li fis-snin passati.

Il-politika tal-Gvern illum tinkoraġixxi l-użu tal-karozzi privati: hi politika li kontinwament tibgħat sinjali konfliġġenti.  Hu sew li l-istrateġija dwar l-iżvilupp sostenibbli tfittex li tkun indirizzata id-dipendenza fuq il-karozzi. F’kuntrast ma’ dan l-oġġettiv il-politika tal-Gvern permezz ta’ investiment massiċċ fl-infrastruttura tat-toroq kif ukoll permezz tas-sussidju tal-petrol/diesel qed twassal messagg kompletament differenti. Messaġġ li ma jħalli l-ebda dubju li l-użu tal-karozzi hu inkoraġġit.

Il-konġestjoni tat-traffiku fit-toroq tagħna mhiex il-kawża tal-problemi tagħna. Fil-fatt din hi l-effett tad-dipendenza tagħna fuq il-karozzi. F’dan il-kuntest hu ġustifikat li l-istrateġija timmira lejn tnaqqis sostanzjali fid-dipendenza fuq il-karozzi. Fil-fatt m’għandniex ħtieġa ta’ daqshekk karozzi biex nivvjaġġjaw daqstant distanzi qosra. Anke l-istrateġija l-oħra, dik dwar it-Trasport tfakkarna li nofs il-vjaġġi li nagħmlu bil-karozzi privati huma għal distanzi li jieħdu inqas minn ħmistax-il minuta.

Insibu iktar sinjali kunfliġġenti fl-abbozz tal-istrateġija dwar l-iżvilupp sostenibbli.

Numru ta’ miri huma spjegati b’mod ċar, bħall-klima, skart, xiri bi kritierji ambjentali, kwalità tal-arja, bijodiversità, tagħlim għall-ħajja, diġitalizzazzzjoni u l-ħtieġa ta’ għajnuna edukattiva lil studenti emigranti, fost oħrajn. Min-naħa l-oħra, per eżempju, ħlief għal xi kummenti ġenerali ftit li xejn hemm direzzjoni dwar materji li jikkonċernaw l-użu tal-art. Riżorsa għalina skarsa u f’diversi ċirkustanzi użata ħażin kontra l-interess pubbliku.

Fid-dawl tal-gimmicks politiċi kurrenti dwar l-ispazji miftuħa jistona n-nuqqas ta’ referenza għall-ħtieġa li nipproteġu l-ispazju miftuħ diġà eżistenti fiż-żoni urbani u l-irħula tagħna. Dan jinkludi ġonna privati, uħud kbar, li huma taħt assedju mill-ispekulaturi li huma daqstant u kontinwament aġevolati.

Ftit li xejn ukoll hemm referenza għall-importanza li tinħadem l-art agrikola u li din tkun difiża mill-assedju li għaddej mill-forzi spekulattivi. X’utilità hemm li tinvesti  €700 million fi spazji miftuħa meta fl-istess nifs qed jintilfu spazji miftuħa kbar kontinwament u dan riżultat tal-falliment tal-ippjanar fl-użu tal-art?

B’din ir-rata il-legat li ser inħallu lill-ġenerazzjonijiet futuri huwa wieħed negattiv ħafna.  Inħarsu sal-ponta ta’ mneħirna, mhemmx viżjoni fit-tul.  Dan mhux legat li ser jagħmel il-ġid: ser ikun ta’ ħsara kbira għall-ġenerazzjonijiet futuri. Kif qalet Brundtland: dan isir għax il-ġenerazzjonijiet futuri m’għandhomx vot!

B’dawn in-nuqqasijiet is-siwi tal-istrateġija proposta dwar l-iżvilupp sostenibbli hu wieħed limitat. Ikun iktar utli li titfassal mill-ġdid.

ippibblikat fuq Ilum: 12 ta’ Frar 2023

Being Good Ancestors

If we are to register any significant progress, our legacy to future generations should be a substantial improvement of what we ourselves have inherited from our predecessors. The roadmap to achieving this improvement should be the objective of the sustainable development strategy which was subject to public consultation until last Thursday.

Roman Krznaric, in his recent book The Good Ancestor asks a very pointed question: “Will our legacy to future generations be one that benefits them or will be it one that cripples them?” It is the question to which we must provide an answer, day in day out.

The politics of sustainable development seeks to mould such an answer. Properly managed it can shape the future as a result of acting in a responsible manner today. It does so by ensuring that our present-day needs are achieved without compromising the ability of future generations in meeting their own needs. It all boils down to how we can think (and plan) long-term in a short-term world.

Notwithstanding the rhetoric, governments do not give sufficient importance to sustainable development as this is not just about today. It is rather about how today’s activity should not prejudice tomorrow and future generations. This is not sufficiently on the radar of today’s politicians. Their interest, generally, does not span more than five years: that is until the next general election. We need to think and plan far more into the future.

This is a point underlined by former Norwegian social democrat Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland in her seminal UN Report Our Common Future published in 1987. She emphasised that “We act as we do because we can get away with it: future generations do not vote; they have no political or financial power; they cannot challenge our decisions.”

This is most evident in the contrast between what the draft sustainable development strategy proposes (or omits) and the actual policy and practice of government.

Consider for example, the issue of transport policy.

The proposed sustainable development strategy speaks at length on vision and objectives relative to an increased use of public transport. It even identifies as a 2030 target the reduction of car drivers through the use of the following words: reduce the modal share of car drivers to 41% compared to 1990.

No one in his right senses can believe a single word of this statement in view of the fact that there has been a considerable effort in the past years in a completely opposite direction!

Current government policy encourages the use of private cars and continuously sends conflicting signals. The sustainable development strategy rightly seeks to address car dependency. In contrast to this objective government policy, through investing heavily in new road infrastructure and through the subsidisation of fuels sends a completely different signal: one which without a shadow of doubt encourages car dependency.

The congestion of our roads is not the cause of our problems: it is the effect of our malady which is car dependency. Hence it is right that the strategy aims to address and reduce car dependency. We do not need so many cars to travel the short distances so prevalent in this country! As our Transport Master Plan reminds us, 50 per cent of private car trips are for distances taking less than 15 minutes.

We find other conflicting signals in the draft strategy on sustainable development.

While there are a number of specific objectives spelled out in clear language (for example: climate change, waste, green purchasing, air quality, biodiversity, lifelong learning, digitalisation, migrant induction learning …….) beyond some general comments and observations, I fail to see any emphasis on land use issues. This is not right in view of the limited availability of land and its rampant misuse, contrary to the public interest.

In view of the current political gimmicks relative to open spaces one cannot but note the omission from the strategy on any reference to the urgent need to protect existing open space in our urban areas and in our villages. This includes large private gardens continuously targeted by speculative forces on the good books of this administration. 

There is also scant reference to the need to safeguard agricultural land. What is the purpose in investing €700 million in open spaces if we are losing existing ones at an exponential rate as a result of the current practise of land use planning?

At this rate the legacy to future generations is generally negative. The short-term view is completely obliterating any possible long-term view. This is not a beneficial legacy; it is rather a very crippling one. As Brundtland pointed out: this is done as future generations have no vote!

We need to go back to the drawing board and have the strategy redrafted.

published in The Malta Independent on Sunday: 12 February 2023

Wara l-maltemp ………………

Wara l-maltemp jiġi l-bnazzi. Mhux biss. Huwa ukoll il-ħin biex nieħdu ħsieb il-ħsarat li saru mill-maltemp.

Iktar minn hekk hu żmien ukoll biex nidentifikaw in-nuqqasijiet li wasslu għal dawn il-ħsarat u nirrimedjawhom.

Waħda mill-problemi l-kbar li mhiex mogħtija attenzjoni biżżejjed hi dwar x’qiegħed jiġri mill-ilma tax-xita.

Hawn wisq binjiet bla bjar jew bi bjar żgħar wisq biex fihom jinġabar l-ilma tax-xita.

Il-konsegwenza ta’ dan, kif nafu, hi ta’ ħafna ilmijiet fit-toroq u ta’ drenaġġ ifur waqt maltempati bħal ta’ din il-gimgħa.

Kif għidt repetutament ir-responsabbiltà għal dan kollu hi ta’ tlieta: ta’ min jiżviluppa l-bini u ma jipprovdix bjar jew bjar kif meħtieġ, tal-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar li ma tivverifikax biżżejjed li qed jinbena bini mingħajr bjar inkella bi bjar żgħar kif ukoll tal-Korporazzjoni għas-Servizzi tal-Ilma li toħroġ permessi biex bini jitqabbad mas-sistema tad-drenaġġ mingħajr ma tagħmel il-verifika meħtieġ dwar l-eżistenza ta’ bjar.

Kulħadd irid jerfa’ ir-responsabbiltà tiegħu.