The Ministry for Animal Rights held a news conference to announce reform in the animal welfare directorate but neglected to include any detail on the supposedly far-reaching overhaul in the department.
In a four-page, 68-word document, the ministry announced that, following an evaluation exercise, it had identified seven pillars to ensure the “successful implementation and execution of the mission statements set out by the Animal Welfare directorate for the term 2023-2026”.
These were listed as: access to accreditable information and systems, high-quality infrastructure, effective human capital, digital transformation to centralised systems, clear procedures and strict operational conduct, governance and regulatory enforcement, and public engagement and online presence.
No specific details about what planned changes to the current operation of the directorate may be in store were shared during the conference.
Swipe to read the document handed to the media
Swipe to see the document handed to the media
Swipe to see the document handed to the media
Swipe to see the document handed to the media
Media had been invited to the "launch of Animal Welfare Reform" by Agriculture Minister Anton Refalo and Parliamentary Secretary Alicia Bugeja Said at the news conference in Old Farmhouse Hall, Għammieri.
A press release sent later on Tuesday expanded on some details, saying that the strategy aims to implement a more efficient way to gather information for the directorate - both for use by officials and the general public, expand on infrastructure such as new clinics and more spaces to keep abandoned animals and expanding the animal ambulance service, allocate more resources to directorate employees for them to be able to do their job more effectively, better use of technology for increased efficiency, introduce official standard operating procedures, implementing new legal and financial processes, and increasing effective and transparent communication with the public.
Parliamentary Secretary for Animal Rights Alicia Bugeja Said that last year the directorate had received 5,000 calls for assistance and another 1,000 in the first quarter of 2023. In the past year and a half, the department has carried out over 1,200 inspections and provided medical assistance and care to 1,500 cats and 700 dogs.
Despite this good work, she said, it is clear from feedback from animal activists and volunteers that more needs to be done.
The strategy, she added would be addressing the financial realities of running an effective animal welfare directorate and that work would commence on implementing the strategy imminently.
Agriculture Minister Anton Refalo said that, as part of the strategy, the ministry is set to launch a new neutering campaign as well as an animal welfare fund to assist in the care of stray animals. Work is also underway to launch a white paper that introduces regulations for animal breeders and groomers, he said.
Animal Welfare Commissioner Alison Bezzina said that the yet-to-be-released document contained much of what activists have been fighting to implement for years.
The reform, Bezzina said, includes increasing human resources and training for the directorate’s employees and will also introduce a centralised digital system that will allow the public to track reports of abuse they have made and their outcomes.
“I think that all of the changes proposed can make a really big difference,” she said.
Bezzina added that the main issue that must be tackled is the large amount of large and strong dogs that are clogging up rescue shelters, with volunteers unable to home them.
“Unless we at least temporarily stop their breeding and importation so that they can stop ending up in the system, no matter how much we invest in something like this, we are never going to surface for a breather,” she said.
Asked whether the reform would consider legislation that places control on the importation and breeding of large and strong dogs, Bugeja Said only said that a white paper with rules for animal breeders and groomers is expected to be launched soon.
She added that the reform would be looking to strengthen the adoption process of certain dogs, particularly bully breeds.