A batch of cow feed exposed to hazardous fumes during last Friday’s scrapyard fire in Marsa was "exposed to hazardous flames" and consequently will be discarded, says a representative of Koperattiva Produtturi tal-Ħalib (KPH) Group, in comments made to WhosWho.mt.
KPH, a cooperative of herdsmen who rear cattle primarily for milk production, supplies feed to the vast majority – if not all – of Malta’s dairy cows. Feed is transported from the Kordin Grain Terminal to the KPH facility, where it is processed and packaged to be distributed to farms across the islands.
The cooperative is also the majority shareholder in Malta Dairy Products Ltd, the company behind the Benna brand, which processes, packs, and distributes an array of milk and dairy products.
“A particular section where some feed is stored was completely exposed to the fumes. No risks will be taken, and that feed will be discarded,” a spokesperson told WhosWho.mt.
He also explained that one of the silos acted as a “shield” for the others. “There were several coincidences that worked in our favour,” he said, noting that the wind happened to be blowing in the opposite direction of the KPH factory.
“Additionally, the first and only silo damaged in the fire had been emptied just a few hours earlier. The Civil Protection Department acted efficiently, cooling that silo to prevent the fire from spreading to the others, which effectively served as a barrier,” he continued.
“Nonetheless, the authorities are collecting samples to ensure the silo is safe. Visibly, the structure appears intact, but we want to be certain,” he added.
He confirmed that the remaining sealed silos were not contaminated in any way, neither by smoke nor by water.
KPH’s operational base lies directly adjacent to JAC Steel, the scrapyard where the blaze broke out. A total of 153 firefighters and 16 senior fire officers from the Civil Protection Department battled the inferno for hours, working under dangerous conditions to prevent a larger disaster. Notably, a similar fire had erupted at the same site just four years ago, once again consuming substantial national resources.
Notably, the scrapyard is owned by Conrad Baldacchino, an individual linked to several Labour Party members.
