The Nationalist Party (PN) said that the government's White Paper regarding agricultural land reform includes points which the PN had already proposed.

The government issued a White Paper regarding agricultural land reform in Malta on Tuesday, and is also pushing forward with new legal amendments in Parliament that will affect the value of such land.

These proposed legal amendments are to the Agricultural Leases (Reletting) Act.

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and animal right Anton Refalo said that the agricultural land will be valued as agricultural land and not according to the land market in general.

PN spokesperson for agriculture and fisheries Toni Bezzina and spokesperson for lands and consumer rights Rebekah Cilia said that they were content that the government is addressing challenges brought about by current laws that regulate crop farming together with a White Paper to reform crop farming.

The PN took the opportunity to mention that the changes proposed through the White Paper are very similar to those put forward by the PN in the previous months and years.

The PN highlighted how it mentioned the same proposals in a statement issued on 13 September 2022 titled: "Need for immediate action by the government to address the issue of agricultural land leases." The PN also mentioned that there were similar proposals listed in the 2017 PN electoral programme.

The PN said that it has been pushing for a number of changes because the current situation will lead to the loss of the agricultural sector. Among the changes it said it has been pushing for, is a revision of leases of agricultural land by the Lands Authority,  better use of agricultural land, the introduction of an agricultural land cadastre, fiscal measures including exemptions from income tax succession, the protection of food supply.

The PN said that it had listed these proposed changes for months and years, however said that the government is only listening to this now.

Furthermore, the PN said that during the consultation period, it will be consulting with all interested parties in order to improve on the proposals presented in the White Paper.

"Where necessary we will be bringing forward additional proposals to ensure that the policy will have a long-term vision for this sector, to make it more competitive and resilient," the PN said.