Quota on swordfish fishing will not be introduced this year - Joseph Muscat
● PL manifesto to cost €120m each year
The quota on swordfish fishing will not be introduced this year, the Prime Minister announced in a press conference yesterday morning. Speaking in Buskett, Dr Muscat said that there needs to be a mechanism by which quotas are distributed in a fair manner. He said the government intends to embark on more consultation on the matter.
Flanked by the Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture and Fisheries Roderick Galdes, Joseph Muscat said that the fishery and agricultural sector is over regulated by EU directives and regulations.
Asked by The Malta Independent to state how much the Labour Party manifesto will cost, the PM said that the proposals will cost €120 million each year. The government is also estimating that the country will experience 2% increase in economic growth. Dr Muscat criticised the PN proposals for not being properly costed. He said simple calculations show that the Opposition’s proposals are going to cost more than €320 million, and this does not include all of the proposals.
During the press conference in which the PL presented its proposals for agriculture, Dr Muscat explained that the government wants to reduce the farmers’ dependence on the water table. He said the government does not intend to introduce fines for water consumed. Farmers are the biggest consumers.
A €22 million investment in three water plants has already helped to reduce such dependence. 25% of the water which is normally filtered and put back into the water table will now be processed three more times so that it can be considered as second class water. He said that in Singapore, this water is given to the people in their private homes.
Dr Muscat said that this investment will bring about a culture change, as farmers will use this water more than from the water bed. “The real result will be felt by the next generation,” he said.