Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/725667
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER 2016 8 TIM DIACONO ENVIRONMENTAL NGOs and independent MP Marlene Farrugia's newly-fledged Partit Demokratiku have urged the au- thorities not to give in to "black- mail" by fish farm operators who say revoking their permits could harm the economy. "The Planning Authority's failure to take action on the long-standing illegal operations by tuna ranchers and other fish farm operators is yet another example that money comes first and the environment last," vice-president Simone Mizzi of environmental group Din l-Art Helwa told MaltaToday. "If busi- ness is allowed to blackmail the state so blatantly, we can give up striving for the good governance required to protect the environ- ment in all aspects of its manage- ment. There will be anarchy." Mizzi warned that most bays where fish farms operate are no longer pleasant to swim in - a problem that NGOs have been forecasting for years. "Our sea is our most important resource, and Din l-Art Helwa looks forward to a permanent so- lution that will allow us to enjoy our seas again," she said. The Planning Authority on Tues- day decided against revoking the permits of four fish farms off Mar- sascala, St Paul's Bay and Comino, despite revelations that over half their fish cages were illegal. In- stead, they gave farm operators a two-week ultimatum to reach an agreement with the authorities on how to address their illegalities and relocate further offshore. Two of the farms in question are operated by AJD Tuna Ltd., one by Fish and Fish, and another by Malta Fish Farming. During the PA board meeting, the fish farm operators and their lawyers warned that revoking the permits will see fish farm opera- tors lose €150 million, and risk de- stroying the entire industry. "If the fish farm industry fails, the impact on the Maltese econ- omy would be disastrous," law- yer Pio Valletta warned. "The PA shouldn't just look at the regula- tions, but at the consequences of their decisions." Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said he is disappointed at the PA's decision, as the industry had years to address their illegalities. However the fish farm operators found support in Opposition lead- er Simon Busuttil, who pointed out that hundreds of workers rely on the fish farm industry for their daily bread. But environmentalists insisted that fish farm operators should not be allowed to use their economic clout and workers' jobs as leverage to get their illegalities sanctioned. "The authorities are yet again using employment numbers as a pretext to drag its feet on enforce- ment," Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ah- jar coordinator Astrid Vella told MaltaToday. "This gives the clear message that the larger the indus- try, the more its abuse will be tol- erated. If handled properly, aqua- culture can provide a good source of food for human consumption, however it must be recommended that the sea belongs to everyone, and that fish farms must operate with respect for the public." She added: "FAA maintains that zero tolerance should be the Plan- ning Authority's priority both on land and at sea." Vella also expressed concern that the PA's ruling on Tuesday did not set out clear deadlines as to when the plan should be concluded and all illegalities removed, nor did it refer to increased monitoring of the industry, or impose the 'pollut- er pays' principle by fining them as compensation for the slimy foam pollution caused by their fish feed. Friends of the Earth Malta di- rector Martin Galea de Giovanni further lambasted the fish opera- tors' economic argument as a "ri- diculous" one that can lead down a slippery slope. "This tactic has already been used by the construction magnates over and over again," he said. "Un- fortunately, the authorities seem to give in every time jobs and the economy are mentioned. We are of course not against having more jobs and a sound economy, but wouldn't the economy suffer and jobs be shed if our seas are pol- luted too? "The interests of a few individu- als who have been raking in con- siderable profits should not come before the health, well-being and quality of life of honest and law- abiding citizens." De Giovanni urged the authori- ties to revoke the permits of the fish farms in question and impose heavy fines on them, noting that they have made a hefty profit from their illegal operations. 'This would not have happened in a normal democracy' – Farrugia Meanwhile, Independent MP Marlene Farrugia – founder of the Democratic Party and a vocal critic of the Labour government's envi- ronmental shortcomings – argued that failing to revoke fish farm per- mits if they remain intransigent will damage the tourism sector, which is the heart of the Maltese economy. "Our beautiful beaches and crys- tal clear waters are a magnet for tourism - the island's biggest in- dustry. They are spoiling it: liter- ally idardru l-ghajn li qed nixorbu minnha (polluting the source of our own nourishment). In a damning indictment of the state of Maltese politics, Farrugia said that the PA's decision would have been different in a "normally functioning democracy where in- stitutions are autonomous". "Whether one is small fry or a gi- ant octopus, the rule of law should stand and law-breakers punished accordingly," she told MaltaToday. ""Every time the PA buckles for whatever reason, it loses more of its already deeply-eroded respect and credibility." She added that large indus- tries have become accustomed to throwing their weight around, because successive governments have yielded to such blackmail. "No government should yield an inch, and everyone including large corporations should be equal be- fore the law," she said. "However, for that to happen, political parties need to raise funds the hard way by state or crowd funding, not selling themselves to industry to secure power." tdiacono@mediatoday.com.mt News Operational Programme I – European Structural and Investment Funds 2014-2020 "Fostering a competitive and sustainable economy to meet our challenges" Advert part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund Co-financing rate: Public Eligible (80% European Union; 20% National Funds) Business Enhance ERDF Grant Schemes Call for Expression of Interest for Service Providers As part of the Business Enhance ERDF Grant Schemes Initiative, the Measures and Support Division within the Ministry for European Affairs and Implementation of the Electoral Manifesto intends to launch: - 1. A Grant Scheme to address the objectives under Priority Axis 2 'Consolidating investment within the ICT sector' of Operational Programme I Cohesion Policy 2014 – 2020, namely increasing the number of enterprises conducting online sales. 2. A Grant Scheme under Priority Axis 3 'Enhancing Malta's Competitiveness through Investment in SMEs' of Operational Programme I Cohesion Policy 2014 – 2020 to support enterprises through the provision of external consultancy services to develop studies to assess the potential of future investment and operational interventions. Service Providers are being invited to submit their application to be included as registered service providers under the Schemes. Information Further information may be requested from the Measures and Support Division by sending an e- mail to msd.meaim@gov.mt. Applications Application forms may be accessed from www.businessenhance.gov.mt. Applications and supporting documentation are to be submitted to the Measures and Support Division, Ministry for European Affairs and Implementation of the Electoral Manifesto, Triq il-Kukkanja Santa Venera, SVR 1411. Don't yield to fish farm blackmail, green NGOs warn Democratic Party leader Marlene Farrugia says ruling would have been 'impossible in a normally-functioning democracy' as Green NGOs lash out at Planning Authority's decision not to instantly revoke permits of fish farms found with extensive illegalities. The Planning Authority has given fish farms two weeks to reach an agreement to relocate their operations further offshore