Around 1,000 tonnes of alfalfa feed were lost as a result of a fire at the Kordin Grain Terminal, the company has acknowledged, but the loss will have no impact on livestock farmers or end consumers, as prices will remain stable.

Workers at the Corradino site managed to salvage 300 tonnes of alfalfa that were stored in a different silo and the country has enough grain to tide it over until further supplies arrive, the company said in a statement on Friday.

Alfalfa is a high-protein feed used to supplement animals’ diets. While Wednesday’s fire at the grain terminal destroyed roughly 50 per cent of the alfalfa meal imported to Malta each year, alfalfa only makes up around 2.5 per cent of the animal feed imported into the country each year, Kordin Grain Terminal CEO Alex Agius told Times of Malta.

Firefighters spent 24 hours putting out a fire that broke out within two of the terminal’s silos on Wednesday morning. Apart from the Civil Protection Department, the operation also involved coordination with the police, LESA, WasteServ, Valletta Gateway Terminals, Transport Malta and Health Department.

What caused the terminal fire?

In a statement issued on Friday, Kordin Grain Terminal attributed Wednesday’s fire to rising temperatures within the silo where alfalfa was being stored, caused by fermentation. It said that while very rare, such incidents were known to happen and were more likely when large quantities of the feed were stored.

Companies have been importing larger-than-usual quantities of animal feed and grain since Russia invaded Ukraine, sending grain prices soaring. The two countries are among the world’s largest suppliers of cereals and oilseeds.

The government has stepped in to subsidise prices and also offered importers free additional storage at the Kordin Grain Terminal, allowing them to secure cheaper prices by bulk-buying grain and animal feed. 

“Storing such items for long periods of time comes with risk, as fermentation can cause the product’s temperature to rise,” the terminal said in its statement, noting that its silos are equipped to detect such changes in temperature and released gases.

The 300 tonnes that were saved before they caught fire are now being stored in a separate WasteServ facility.