Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Animal Rights Anton Refalo announced an investment at the Public Abattoir of around one hundred thousand euros. This will be the first plant in Malta for the treatment of animal by-products from the abattoir.
The plant at the Public Abattoir in Marsa will be instrumental when it comes to the relaunching of traditional Maltese products on the local market, including the tripe (kirxa).
Minister Refalo explained that the use of these by-products has been lost in recent years, following Malta’s addition to the European Union, as the methods which were used to process such products were no longer acceptable from a hygiene perspective, and the necessary investments to maintain and valorise such products, that had been in use for hundreds of years, were not carried out as had been done in other countries.
“This is another investment, announced in the budget for this year, through which we are helping to boost the competitiveness of the local agricultural sector which is increasingly experiencing strong competition from imported products,” said Minister Refalo. “Through these products, which have a higher potential value in the market, we will be helping Maltese and Gozitan farmers to strengthen their incomes and literally turn what is today considered as waste, into a new opportunity for growth”.
To date, most by-products from locally slaughtered pig, beef, sheep, and goat are incinerated at the Waste Thermal Treatment Plant adjacent to the abattoir. Last year, about 1,700 tons of material were discarded, a large part of which could have had one or more uses. Such material includes by-products that can be used for human consumption, such as tripe or blood. Other by-products, including the horn of some animals, can be used for decorative purposes or in traditional crafts.