I endorse what the Green Party leader said recently about the need for farmers and agriculture to be respected and that while the EU dedicates half its budget to agriculture, this sector in Malta has remained the Cinderella of the Maltese economy for generations.

Most Gozitans still grow their own vegetables, some families keep sheep and goats, and prepare their own products from milk, while having a few chickens for the eggs and producing their own meat. Others keep rabbits to add to our traditional meal. On the other hand, new generations from the cities have little idea what they are eating. In Gozo we have about 3,000 registered farmers, most of them working on a part-time basis.

Our farmers also take care of the landscape and the environment. Farmers feel responsible for nature and her creatures and respect the land we work on.

The countryside is more than just an area for farmers. It’s also an area for recreation. Many people spend their holiday breaks enjoying the countryside. My advice to all politicians, and not only Alternattiva Demokratika, is to treat the environment and countryside with respect so that our great-grandchildren can also enjoy it.

Land speculators and other greedy individuals should be treated like other common citizens in the eyes of the law and the authorities. They should be made aware that in Gozo alone, 48 per cent of the properties are vacant. The countryside is an area which is given to us, to use, to conserve and to protect, so that our grandchildren can say: we are proud of our grandparents for saving the countryside for us.

Martin Camilleri

Nadur