Increase the efficiency and profitability of Maltese and Gozitan farmers The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights Anton Refalo, together with the Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds Chris Bonett inaugurated a new plant for cutting, pulping and processing pork in the Public Slaughterhouse.
The plant will be operated by the Cooperative of Min Irabbi l’Majjali, which gathers within it all the villagers who raise pigs in the Maltese islands. The Public Slaughterhouse has invested around a quarter of a million euros in a top level plant, while for its part, the cooperative has invested €360,000 in equipment, refrigeration cells and other investment under a project partially financed by the European Union.
“The pork sector, which accounts for around 80% of all meat from the Slaughterhouse, is crucial for food security in Malta, and this plant will help this sector to be more sustainable,” said Minister Refalo while recalling that this is another project that is contributing to the implementation of the electoral measure in favor of more investment in the Slaughterhouse intended to increase efficiency and improve the profitability of Maltese and Gozitan farmers.
Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds Chris Bonett said that this project is focusing on increasing the value of a local product, applying new production methods, and improving the quality and -presentation of the product.
“Our commitment in food security is that, parallel to the European strategy, it becomes more resilient in guaranteeing the availability of food. In the last few weeks we announced the Strategic Plan of the Common Agricultural Policy for Malta 2023-2027 with an investment of €166 million which will continue to positively affect the Maltese and Gozitan villagers and farmers,” said Parliamentary Secretary Bonnet.
The new plant of approximately 400 square meters will allow the Cooperative of Min Irabbi l’Majjali to increase efficiency in cutting and pulping and thus in the production of cuts that go to the -local meat processors.
It was explained that through this investment the cooperative will be increasing the competitiveness of the local pork as it will be able to give the processor or the meat seller a ready cut product according to the needs his, thus helping them to reduce the costs linked to the carriage of carcasses, to storage and even to their initial processing while reducing disposal.
The investment includes new machinery which, among others, will allow the cutting and packaging of pork meat, as well as its treatment so that it does not dry out during cooking. The plant has been designed in such a way that while meeting the hygiene criteria and the necessary separation between one product and another, the necessary balance is reached for the pig sector to be more competitive, and at the same time it allows optimal use of invested resources.
During the past year, the Public Slaughterhouse produced approximately 4,200 tons of pork meat. Minister Refalo concluded by saying that,
“The project will continue to build on a number of initiatives through which the Government is helping the sector to overcome these challenges and turn them into opportunities, among them the help on the nuts as well as help so that for the first time Maltese villagers benefited from the European funds for Private Storage Aid. As it has done in recent years, a Labor Government will not stop being a shoulder for all villagers and farmers.”
