Close Tuna recycling plant, Birżebbuġa residents tell Miriam Dalli

Residents have called for the closure of the closure of the tuna recycling plant in Birżebbuġa over the stench coming from the area.

“The request of the residents of Birżebbuġa and its surroundings, and of the workers in Ħal Far, remains that the operation of the factory is suspended until it is ensured that it will no longer leave the smells it is currently producing,” a statement read.

The request was made in a letter to the Environment Minister Miriam Dalli together with NGO Moviment Graffitti.

They said the situation is unfair to residents and workers who suffer the inconvenience of unbearable smells, regardless of the technical reasons that are leading to this problem.

In their letter, the two organisations noted that the operation of the factory has not yet been stopped and that the company Acquaculture Resources Ltd. will even organize controlled visits to its factory next week.

They drew attention to the fact that no visit organized by the company will reassure people because, as long as the smells keep coming out, the problem will remain there in the same identical way.

“If someone tries to imply that the strong smells of dead fish, which started right when the tuna factory started operating over two months ago, are not actually a result of this factory, they would just be insulting the intelligence of the people,” the residents said.

“It is neither the task of the residents, nor of the organisations nor of the journalists to find and address the reasons that are causing the factory to emit these smells. This is only a task of the company and the authorities concerned. Residents and workers, however, have the right not to suffer from this stench until a solution is found.”

The organisations warned that, should the authorities falling under Dalli’s ministry fail to stop the operation of the company until the smells stop, the political responsibility “must necessarily be borne by the Minister and by all those who have allowed this unsustainable situation to continue for too long.”

The organisations concluded by saying they are confident that the Minister will listen to the grievances of the people and take the necessary action, whilst reiterating that “the profits of the tuna industry must never come before the well-being and quality of life of the people.”