EU funds transform Buskett herdsmen's lives

The lives of two brothers from Buskett were radically transformed over the past four years after they invested Lm500,000 in their milk production facility that has 130 cows.

The owners of Azzopardi Dairy Farm, known in the Rabat area as Ta' Xmun, invested heavily in new state-of-the-art equipment, which has significantly increased their farm's production output while easing their workload. A substantial part of the money came from the EU.

"We would never have invested in this facility were it not for the EU," Brian Azzopardi, one of the owners, proudly told Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi who toured the facility yesterday.

"Because of new EU standards we have decided that, after 40 years of business, we wanted to make a leap forward. The result is that we are today working less and producing much more high-quality milk than before. This investment has also enabled us to increase our herd and improve our product,' Mr Azzopardi said.

The equipment installed includes a system that washes, feeds and milks cows automatically.

Addressing journalists, Dr Gonzi said the Azzopardis' story is a concrete example of how Malta's membership of the EU is also changing mentalities.

"We are no longer satisfying ourselves with the status quo. We are looking at new EU benchmarks which over the years will provide us with a better quality of life. This is exactly what we meant with EU membership," the Prime Minister said.

Dr Gonzi said that another PN government would ensure that the farming community will continue to benefit from EU funds in order to upgrade Malta's agricultural produce.