The act of having sexual relations with an animal is still permitted in Malta ten months after Animal Rights Minister Anton Refalo spoke in favour of criminalising bestiality.

Following the case of a man who was caught molesting a flock of sheep in St Julian’s last September, Refalo stated that laws “need to be amended so that it is adequate for our time, which means introducing harsh fines.” 

However, the months since have delivered nothing but radio silence with questions sent to the Animal Rights Ministry by Lovin Malta regarding updates on legislation remaining unanswered to this day. 

The issue of having sexual relations proves highly problematic for Malta which is one of the few countries in Europe that does not outright ban or criminalise the act.

In fact, the Animal Welfare Act does not mention bestiality, while Malta’s Criminal Code only mentions bestiality once, and only in relation to showing indecent material to underage people.

The topic of bestiality laws has permeated public debate over the years, but time and time again no real action has been taken to institute a set of laws that ban the practice.

Meanwhile, strides have been made in other areas when it concerns the welfare of animals, including a recent legal amendment that allows magistrates to ban people found guilty of animal abuse from owning pets in the future.

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