The 2020 Malta Animal Welfare Reform Proposals

Animal Welfare/ Animal Rights Activists have been knocking on all doors begging to be heard. While we are cognizant of the fact that animal welfare has been given some more importance over the years, the progress has been piecemeal steps that have included the handing out of various funds to NGOs. Public education and awareness has not changed, the problems there since forever remain lodged firmly in place. Whilst welcoming the recent LC Care Fund, the majority of local councils were either lost at the start, for local councils are not aware of neither the needs nor the action that is demanded, or else lost in the process of following up on subsequent complicated application procedures with the result that most of the councils who initially applied failed to receive the funds to implement necessary measures. We are therefore calling upon Minister Refalo, also noting that Animal Welfare has now been handed over to the direct remit of a Minister himself, to accept our 7 proposals to be discussed and implemented with haste. We pledge to work together with the Animal Welfare directorate to raise the standards for Animal Welfare in Malta but must work jointly and wholeheartedly, in dedication to serve the animals beloved to the community. These 7 proposals to be immediately addressed are:  1. A national mass-neutering programme; 2. Responsible pet ownership that includes neutering and microchipping; 3. The compulsory chipping of bred dogs and cats; 4. Farm animal welfare; 5. Wild Animals in Captivity - a review, assessment and re-evaluation; 6. Immediate removal of dangerous poisons widely available and thus abused; 7. A respite centre to shelter and protect pets whose elderly/sick owners can no longer keep; who roam the streets abandoned or lost; the centre would also cater for heavily pregnant animals to give birth in safety, rather than have these give birth and contribute to their suffering, injury and population growth on the streets.