Anton Refalo, Alicia Bugeja Said cannot evade responsibility for Animal Welfare Directorate’s – PN

The PN said in a statement that it expects that all necessary investigations are carried out following the allegations made against the Animal Welfare Directorate and its leadership concerning negligence and abuse. The PN said that for years it has been drawing the Government’s attention to the fact that it is not taking this sector seriously and, despite proposals put forward by the Opposition in various draft laws, including in Parliament, the Labour Government has continued to ignore them. “In recent days, it was revealed that the Commissioner for Animal Welfare has launched an investigation into the operations of this Directorate following reports regarding the deteriorating conditions of the facilities at Għammieri where dogs are kept, with a direct impact on the animals housed there,” the party said. These concerns have been raised not only by NGOs in the sector but also by members of the public who visit these facilities, including those seeking to adopt, it added. The PN said that it also expects that justice is served if this investigation confirms the allegations being made – allegations which include cases of animal cruelty. “The situation is so serious that it has even been described by some as a total collapse of the animal welfare system in our country,” the party said. Now that these serious accusations have emerged, Minister Anton Refalo and Parliamentary Secretary Alicia Bugeja Said – who are responsible for animal rights – are attempting to shift blame and evade responsibility by claiming that the Directorate is “autonomous,” the party said. “This, despite the fact that for years they have praised its work and sought to take credit for it themselves. It is widely known that the Directorate operates according to directives issued by the Parliamentary Secretariat,” the PN noted. “All this further demonstrates that animal welfare is not a priority for this Government. A number of cases in recent months confirm this, including the controversial decision taken by Alicia Bugeja Said’s Parliamentary Secretariat towards the end of last year to send 19 dogs to a shelter in Naples at a cost of €100,000 to the Secretariat. It was only thanks to strong resistance from several NGOs and activists, with the full support of the Nationalist Opposition, that these dogs were ultimately not sent to Italy,” the party added. “On that occasion, despite the fact that the decision had been taken entirely by Alicia Bugeja Said, following strong criticism she attempted to shift responsibility onto the Directorate,” the party concluded. The statement was signed by PN MP and Shadow Minister for Animal Welfare Janice Abela Chetcuti.
2026-03-18 18:09:00