MALTA: Cement factory could be a contamination threat for major grain silo in Grand Harbour

The grain silo in the Grand Harbour is old and can easily be contaminated, The Committee for Environment and Development Planning heard during a session.

A cement factory was recently given the go-ahead to begin operations very close to the terminal itself. Flimkien Ghall-Ambjent Ahjar Coordinator Astrid Vella said that even traces of cement in the grain could be detrimental to the health of citizens.

Mrs Vella mentioned that even one of the experts hired by the developers admitted that there was no guarantee that the grain would not be contaminated.

MEPA CEO Johann Buttigieg, who was present, argued that the cement factory has the latest technology and is completely enclosed, thus making it extremely safe. He also said that the grain silo is quite old and given all the activity around, including another cement factory 400 meters away, the grain could be contaminated from a number of things. He also said that when ships come to unload grain, the conveyor belts are exposed, and pigeons can contaminate the area.

Mrs Vella indicated that the silo provides 70 per cent of the grain used for bread made around Malta, resulting in 100,000 loaves of bread being produced daily. She argued that regardless of the technology available in the cement factory, trace elements could still get through, citing documents that argue the same.

It was also argued that while the technology used by the cement factory was state of the art, as time goes on, the cement factory will age, as had the grain silo, thus possibly creating a hazard in the future.

PL MP Godfrey Farrugia who was filling in for one of the Committee members, said that the health authorities must be asked to look into this and Chairman of the Committee Marlene Farrugia approved, stating that a letter will be sent to the Health Council to further delve into the issue.

MALTA: Danger of cement dust contamination

What does it take to get Michael Farrugia, the parliamentary secretary responsible for Mepa, and a doctor to boot, to react to the alarming news that the grain supplied by the Kordin Grain Terminal runs the serious risk of being poisoned by cement dust?

In September 2013, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar brought to Mepa’s attention the fact that a cement silo was being built without a permit two metres away from the terminal’s grain conveyor belt, raising concerns on health risks through contamination of grain by cement.

We asked if any enforcement action was being taken.

We were told by Mepa: “As of this afternoon, the silo is still being constructed and is definitely not in operation. There is hence nothing more to add from an enforcement perspective.”

So serious is the risk of the grain being contaminated that the Environmental Health Directorate ordered both the cement silo owners and the grain importers to prepare risk assessments.

The first report by doctors Julian Mamo and John Paul Cauchi, on behalf of Kordin Grain Terminal, had very grave concerns on the serious risk to the public, especially children, of poisoning of the grain by even minute amounts of cement. Their conclusions are that it is not an acceptable risk irrespective of how safe the silo is.

The second, authored by Cali Corleo for UC Ltd, cites the possibility of the grain being subject to contamination from the cement dust “even following the application of best practices”.

FAA submitted a formal complaint to Mepa and three reminders, which included the newer health risk information. All are still unacknowledged.

We also wrote to the parliamentary secretary but, disappointingly, other than supporting Mepa’s enforcement and management’s lack of responsibility and “directing us“ to investigate, we have received neither a satisfactory answer nor direct action.

MALTA: Increase of cement excise duty ‘a terrible shock’

The immediate excise duty of EUR9 per tonne on imported cement is a “bolt out of the blue”, and has come as “a terrible shock” for all stakeholders involved in the construction industry, Vince Farrugia, the director general of the Chamber which represents Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Malta, told The Malta Business Weekly. 

Following the announcement made by Finance Minister, Tonio Fenech, when presenting next year’s budget earlier this week, to increase the excise duty on cement with immediate effect, Mr Farrugia said that whereas in other countries governments are coming up with schemes and incentives to boost development, the construction industry in Malta is being severely hindered by such ill-timed increases. “This will indirectly lead to increases in property prices, at a time when the construction industry, which finds itself in a grave situation, has yet to fully recover from the economic recession.”

Mr Farrugia described the decision “as illogical and will increase property prices by as much as eight to 10 per cent”, adding that roughly “12 per cent of the country’s workforce is employed in one way or another in construction, which is only three per cent less than the amount of people employed in the tourism industry. Something needs to be done and fast to remedy the current dismal situation regarding construction in Malta”. 

However, Michael Falzon, the president of the Malta Developers’ Association, offered a different view to the increase, despite commenting “that it is only the government who stands to gain by the increase”. 

Mr Falzon said that based on his calculations the EUR9 cost on cement is actually minimal, when compared to the annual turnover of the industry. 

The cost, which he calculated based on the total cement imports of the previous year, amounts to around EUR3m per annum, he said. Although it is an increased cost that nobody would have liked, it is marginal when compared to what the construction industry makes in a year.

The reasoning offered in the budget is the polluter pays principle, but while an environmental impact is undeniable, Mr Falzon said that this, in his opinion, is a good pretext for something which would be better described as a revenue raising exercise.

He added that according to statistics, Malta imports around 300,000 tonnes of cement annually.