Moviment Graffitti today called on the Minister for Agriculture and the Cabinet of Ministers to intervene and put an end to the eviction of farmers from leased agricultural lands they have been tilling for decades.
In a statement, the activist group noted how farmers are being evicted from their land after a constitutional court ruling had found a breach of landowners’ rights. The laws regarding agricultural leases have never been updated by successive administrations, despite the warnings from several actors in the sector, leading to a situation where farmers are being evicted every week.
“The ticking time bomb has now exploded,” the group said, adding that so far there has been no attempt to rectify a situation which will result in the destruction of the farming sector if left unchecked.
“Farmers are already facing various pressures on their livelihood because of speculation and roadbuilding. Now, evictions have started at an accelerated rate, and we have received reports of some landowners and speculators abusing the fact that many farmers are not aware of their legal rights.
This sustained attack on farming is a huge threat for our food security, and should our ports or airports have to be shut down again, the supply of agricultural produce would be severely limited. The laws have to be updated to guarantee farmers access to land, while respecting the Constitutional Court’s decree.”
Moviment Graffitti also warned against allowing market forces to dictate the sector, as this would also restrict the numbers in farming. The group also noted that schemes aimed to encourage youths to become farmers are useless if they cannot afford to buy or rent farmland.
“We believe government should intervene in this matter and stop the bleeding. While most sectors have received aid of some sort, including contractors who have been given funds to upgrade their equipment, farmers have not been as fortunate as they battle every day for their own livelihood. On the other hand, many landowners are falsely registering themselves as ‘part-time farmers’ purely to obtain ODZ planning permits or EU grants, to the detriment of genuine farmers. It is high time government issues a set of measures to prevent the sector from dying out.”
The group said government should be looking at innovating a sector which has long been neglected, and focus on offering farmers assistance also by shifting to more environmentally-friendly initiatives. Moreover, an audit of the sector needs to be done, in order to determine who the genuine farmers are and what challenges they are facing.
“We need to recognise the important role of farmers as stewards of our countryside, for our mental health and open spaces among others. Most importantly, this should be done to guarantee some degree of food security for Malta in the years to come, especially as climate change and other unforeseen external shocks (such as COVID-19) are direct dangers to our food supply.