The owners of more than 200 deer, which they keep on land near Mġarr, have applied for planning permission to set up a deer farm and build a slaughterhouse to cull dozens of them.
They say they need to reduce the population to 150 to qualify to become an organic farm.
However, a planning commission has demanded more information from the agricultural and environmental authorities before deciding whether to grant permission.
The application is by Emanuel Ciantar, Francis Galea and Nazzareno Galea. They have applied for a deer farm, an underground slaughterhouse, a farm retail outlet, a winery and an olive oil production room on a site located outside the development zone between Mġarr and Żebbiegħ, in the area known as Ta’ Torri Falka.
The site is an extensive plot of terraced fields mainly used for agricultural purposes, such as the growing of clover, olives, fodder and other crops as well as for vineyards.
It is also used for the cultivation of deer, with more than 200 kept on site in line with permits issued by the veterinary department.
Much of the site is protected for its scenic and cultural value. It lies within an area of high landscape value near the Victoria Lines and on an area of ecological importance.
The applicants were originally requesting a permit for an agritourism facility and later a visitors’ centre but the proposal was considerably downsized, removing the facilities and retaining the application for a deer farm.
The new application also seeks to sanction various illegalities on which enforcement notices have been issued, such as passageways and ramps built between the terraced fields, an agricultural store created from a reservoir, a fodder store, three structures built as a shelter for deer, PV panels over these structures and two prefabricated timber structures.
Architect Charles Buhagiar argued that the deer slaughterhouse was required for his clients to come in line with legal requirements for an organic facility.
He said the Agricultural Advisory Committee was refusing the slaughterhouse proposal because the farm is not an organic one while the slaughterhouse is required to reduce the number of deer to come in line with regulations for an organic farm.
There could not be more than 150 deer on an organic farm when his client has well over 200, Buhagiar added.
A chicken and egg situation
“This is a bit of a chicken and egg situation. We need the slaughterhouse to be able to reduce the deer population to become organic but the authorities want us to become organic before they can consider the slaughterhouse.
“Deer is a wild animal and cannot be taken to the public abattoir but need to be culled and processed on site to avoid contamination,” he told the commission.
On the request for a winery, Buhagiar conceded that his client did not have the required 20 hectares of vineyard to quality but explained this was because owners of adjacent vineyards had pulled out of a contract they had with his client.
Commission chairman Martin Camilleri noted that the Environment and Resources Authority had requested an environmental impact assessment but this had not started because the proposal was unacceptable in the first place.
The application was suspended until the Agricultural Advisory Committee determines if there could be an interim measure for the applicant to reduce his deer population and until the ERA decides whether the EIA is still required.