Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1469338
NEWS 7 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 1 JUNE 2022 land's traditional farming methods and allows us to join the fast-growing interna- tional network of luxury snail caviar pro- duction," architect Dawn Fearne wrote in her project statetment for the developer. Rearing the snails Breeder snails will be imported from Sicily and Cyprus. During their first year, the snails shall be cared for meticulously to enhance their breeding potential. The first batch of eggs will not be processed as caviar but kept and reared to increase the snail counts. The caviar's processing shall begin in the following year. In the first year of production, a monthly output of 1.5kg- 3kg of caviar is being projected. In the sec- ond year the projected monthly output is 4kg-6kg. The applicant's technology provider shall be Touchstone Snails Limited. Based in Larnaka, Cyprus and operating an interna- tional franchise, the company has 15 years' experience in the breeding of Helix Asper- sa Muller snails The applicant will be adopting the cur- tain breeding method since this allows for higher production levels through the max- imisation of space. Each pen will consist of a set of steel rods with a draped washable textile or plastic sheet. Grass and weeds will be allowed to grow at the base to cre- ate the humid conditions the snails need. The side of the pen will have a low voltage electric current to reduce the risk of snail escape. The curtain breeding method ensures better hygiene since dead snails drop to the bottom of the unit and can be easily identified and removed. The pen's top and bottom surfaces are also easier to inspect and clean. The snails will travel to the wooden planks on top of the unit to eat and excrete at night. During the day, the snails sleep on the curtains or on the un- derside of the planks. The project is characterised by self-suf- ficiency with the surrounding fields being used to feed the snails and their waste used to fertilise the soil. The ácollection of rain- water from the building's roof and on-site reservoir will also reduce the project's im- pact on water resources. The proponent has excluded locating the snail farm in an industrial estate, as this would defy the sustainability ethos of the project, requiring additional trips to and from the establishment for the purchase of food for the snails. Moreover the rental prices for such warehousing units are ex- orbitant for a start-up like this. This will automatically make the project unfeasible. Neither is it possible to locate the snail farm in a green house structure as san- itisation and caviar sorting and packing cannot be carried out in a greenhouse with soil. Moreover the proposed underground set up makes it easier to control variables like temperature, humidity levels and light ratios which determine how the snails eat, sleep, mate and lay eggs. In retaining the ability to control these parameters, one can optimise the snails' cycles and render the business KURT SANSONE THREE passengers and a driver had to be hospitalised after the minivan they were on was involved in an accident with a fuel bowser in Rabat, Gozo. The accident happened at around 2:30pm in Republic Street, in front of the Duke's Shopping Mall The police confirmed that a fu- el bowser, a Foden 345, driven by a 34-year-old man from San Lawrenz collided with a Toyota Pro Ace van driven by a 23-year-old man from Marsaskala. The police said that four people from the Toyota van had to be taken to hos- pital. The bowser driver was not in- jured. An eyewitness told MaltaToday that three ambulances rushed to the scene to assist the injured passengers, which were all adults. Two motorcycles and a car were also damaged in the accident. A minivan driver and three passengers had to be rushed to hospital The crash happened in Victoria's Main Street outside the Duke's Shopping Mall (Photo: Chris Mangion) Two motorcycles and a car were also damaged in the accident (Photo: Chris Mangion)