Maltese livestock farmers need the support of the government to ensure continuity of their operations in milk production, which have been facing unbalanced competition since Malta joined the EU, Former Prime Minister and MEP Alfred Sant said today.
While Gozitan and Maltese holdings are necessarily small scale, their European competitors operate out of large scale farms that provide them with unbeatable economies of scale, he explained.
The Maltese MEP visited a livestock farm in Kerċem Gozo where Salvu Tabone and his family have been rearing cows for milk production over the years. Tabone manages over 100 cows in his farm. Costs for the maintenance of the farm and animal feed costs have increased considerably over the past years, Sant explained. "Feed accounts for 50-70% of the total costs in animal production. The number of cows in this farm has been reduced by one quarter over the past four years."
"Society must ensure the survival of livestock farms across Malta and Gozo. It is very worrying that our livestock farmers continuously ask themselves whether it makes sense to continue livestock production in their farms." remarked the Maltese MEP.
Sant told Tabone he will do his utmost to help farmers continue to receive assistance through EU funds.