Restructuring the poultry sector

It was a great disappointment for me to read again that Noel Farrugia is not correct when doing his workings on the poultry sector.

Mr Farrugia was again misled but unfortunately he continues to repeat and misinform the public. This misinterpretation given out by Mr Farrugia was cleared during a parliamentary question No 9,963 answered by the Minister for Rural Affairs and the Environment on January 28. According to the National Statistics Office, the drop of production during 2004 was of 17.2 per cent and not that of 40 per cent, as given by Mr Farrugia. The NSO official figures published this month show clearly that the slaughter in 2003 was 4,700,865 heads and in 2004 it was 3,895,233 heads. This explains that the drop of 17.2 per cent is correct and that the workings of Mr Farrugia are totally incorrect and do not reflect the reality of the poultry sector.

My reply to Mr Farrugia is based on actual figures and not illusions. Figures published by the NSO show that the workings made by Mr Farrugia are incorrect. The Labour opposition quotes the NSO on many occasions but in this matter Mr Farrugia looks as though he does not want to quote the NSO but his incorrect workings.

With regard to his claim that the policy to stabilise potential price increases in sugar, beef and grains was short-sighted, Mr Farrugia again shows his inability to understand how the EU works - an EU which his party now keenly supports, or so it seems.

Malta's Treaty of Accession amply demonstrates the attention to detail, which was a characteristic of negotiations with the EU and prior to the referendum.

The subsidies, part of which are being paid for out of cash funds from the EU itself, served the Maltese people well. Sugar and grain prices in particular have remained stable but Mr Farrugia fails to recognise this preferring to remain rooted in his pre-referendum dreams of partnership. Mr Farrugia must decide once and for all whether he agrees with his party's U-turn favouring EU membership or whether he should convince his party's leadership to return to its partnership mode. In the absence of one or the other, Mr Farrugia risks becoming as irrelevant as his stale arguments.