Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/212250
News maltatoday, Sunday, 17 November 2013 Pets' cremation being considered as preferred alternative to burial Burial of pets however is not entirely excluded, as government may seek a derogation from the same rules James Debono Cremation is being considered as the "preferred method" to ensure that a newly proposed animal cemetery conforms to EU regulations which indicate incineration as the best way to dispose of pet animals. But burial is still not being completely excluded, as the government may seek a derogation from the same rules. The government intends to award a contract for the new cemetery to a private company through an expression of interest, instead of a public tender issued by the department of contracts. A spokesperson for parliamentary secretary Roderick Galdes told MaltaToday that at this preliminary stage, all options were being considered and an expression of interest will be issued to determine the best way forward. But preliminary plans indicate that incineration is the favourite option. EU regulations consider dead animals as 'Category 1' animal byproducts, which have to be incinerated. Before the election, former rural affairs minister George Pullicino had excluded a pet cemetery because EU regulations did not foresee the burial of animals. The ministry's spokesperson has now acknowledged that according to EU regulations pet animals, zoo animals and circus animals, as 'Category 1' animal by-products, have to be disposed of as waste by incineration. However, the spokesperson pointed out that the same rules allow the authorities to derogate from the law and authorise the disposal by burial of dead pet animals if there is no transmission of risks to public and animal health. The government still does not have know how much the project will cost but has made it clear that the project will run by a private entity. "The projected cost of the cemetery is variable depending on the policy options which will be considered further in due course and is still subject to the issue of an expression of interest." According to a planning application presented by the environment minister on 19 October, a 1,700 square metre agricultural field was identified by the government for the development of a dog and cat cemetery. The development is set to take place in an outside-development zone known as Ta' San Gakbu in Ta' Qali. The development will include a cemetery gate, a central building, a back storeroom and an area for graves covered with trees in what looks to be a replica of a human cemetery. The proposal includes a well to absorb rainwater runoff. The development will not result in the uprooting of any existing trees or demolition of rubble walls. The animal cemetery was proposed in Labour's electoral manifesto before the election even got a mention in the last budget. The previous government had ex- cluded such a development, because this was deemed to be in breach of EU regulations. "What you can do is cremate the animal in Marsa and bury its ashes. But you definitely cannot have a public animal cemetery," former minister George Pullicino replied in a parliamentary question in 2012. Presently, an owner may bury a dead pet on their property, but only on an occasional basis. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt