Meat Festival 2026: Another opportunity for Maltese families to celebrate and further appreciate the quality and versatility of local mea

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights Anton Refalo announced that for the fourth edition of Festa Laħmar, Maltese families will have another opportunity to celebrate and further appreciate the quality and versatility of local meat. This activity brings together Maltese families and operators in the sector, while continuing to strengthen the value of local produce. A Meat Festival will be held at the Public Slaughterhouse on Saturday 2 May from 6pm onwards and will be an activity for the whole family, built on four fundamental pillars at the Public Slaughterhouse: the quality of local meat, the Maltese agro-gastronomic heritage, research and innovation in food, and the Marsa community which has been hosting the institution for 129 years. During this activity, visitors will have the opportunity to visit the Public Slaughterhouse plant and appreciate the investments made over recent years to strengthen the hygiene, safety and quality of Maltese produce. Among the participants will be the Pig Breeders' Cooperative with the products "Malta Pork", the Sheep and Goat Producers' Association, the Maltese Sheep and Goat Cooperative, as well as other commercial entities in the sector. The activity is being held with the assistance of the Marsa Local Council and other local organisations. The Public Abattoir together with the Malta Chef Society will offer a tasting of traditional Maltese products such as mazzit and tripe, as well as Maltese crisps and sausages, together with innovative products that add value to local produce. Festa Laħam 2026 will also include a varied programme for families and children, with animation, educational activities and a contribution from Esplora with an interactive scientific approach. There will also be live cooking and innovative recipe sessions, as well as an educational exhibition on parchment. In recent years, the Public Slaughterhouse has continued to invest in enhancing the quality and value of local produce. Products such as tripe and rump, which had disappeared from the market for around twenty years, have been reintroduced, following investment in modern hygienic processing facilities without preservatives. Investment has also been made in a new plant for cutting, processing and packaging pork meat, as well as systems that improve quality during cooking, designed to meet high hygiene standards and enhance the efficiency and sustainability of the sector.