Farmers once again took to the streets on Friday in a second protest in as many weeks, seeking government assistance and pointing out shortcomings that are affecting them badly.
The farmers gathered at Ta’ Qali just before noon and slowly made their way to Floriana, taking an hour longer than they anticipated to arrive on the shore next to where cruise-liners birth, possibly to give an international dimension to their protest. They stopped near the Malta-Sicily Catamaran terminal.
Two weeks ago, the protest had stopped in Floriana, near the Granaries, where the farmers met Prime Minister Robert Abela. Yet it seems that Abela’s words were not too consoling to the farmers who protested again on Thursday, carrying placards that said, among other things, 'Take care of us or you'll go hungry', 'No farmers, no food, no future', and 'Farmers gone? Eat your money'.
This time, the PM was not in attendance and, instead, the farmers were met by Agriculture Minister Anton Refalo and parliamentary secretary Alicia Bugeja Said.
Many of the tractors carried Maltese flags as farmers honked their horns to grab the attention of passers-by. Gozitan farmers, tractors and all, joined the protest too.
In their protest, the farmers passed through some of Malta's busiest roads on their way to the Valletta waterfront, driving through the Central Link road, Mrieħel bypass, Marsa-Ħamrun bypass and the Marsa Junction.
Farmers are protesting against EU trade deals that remove or reduce barriers for non-EU agricultural products.
They are also against state aid rules that limit government support to agriculture and EU rules that reward farmers for leaving fields fallow - a technique to allow land to recover - saying this was an incentive to landowners to keep land unproductive.
The protest was organised by the Għaqda Bdiewa Attivi which said it had the the backing of various organisations related to food production.
Addressing the protest, Għaqda Bdiewa Attivi president Malcolm Borg listed a number of proposals which he said the government should take onboard in order to assist in buffering the impact of EU regulations and plans.
The first is that the government should identify the countries outside of the European Union which are exporting the biggest amount of food products to Malta in direct competition with ones produced by local producers, and initiate negotiations with the European Commission to safeguard the interest of local producers.
This can be done by, for example, prohibiting the entry of such produce from these countries when local supply meets demand.
Borg said that government departments responsible for the testing of food products should utilise more stringent sampling and analysis regimes for products being imported from countries outside the European Union so to ensure that such food is of a high enough quality to meet that reached by the local production.
Another proposal is that a subsidy should be given on fertilisers – which is one of the major expenses in crop production, financial assistance should be given to local fodder producers to maintain a low price for cow, sheep and goat farmers, and that the cost to import feeds (including storage and shipping) should be relayed to farmers via the price of feed so that when such costs are higher than those forked out by the local major competitors due to Malta’s size and insularity financial assistance is provided.
The organisation said that no EU regulation seeking an increase in fallow land should be adopted in Malta for the foreseeable future, saying that leaving fallow land would be “absurd.”
Finally, it said that no EU regulation arising from the Green Deal, the ‘End the Cage Age’ initiative or other regulations that would influence the operations or profits of agricultural enterprises should be adopted in Malta unless enough proof is provided to the farming community of the negligible impact of these regulations.
Borg said that the place in which farmers chose to end their protest is a symbolic one, in front of the port in which the catamaran to Sicily travels to and from Malta, where most of the imported food to the country enters.
If something happens to the Catamaran, "Maltese and Gozitans will starve. Even when there is stormy weather, half of supermarkets are empty. Can we continue depending on this?" Borg questioned.
He said that with the proposals the NGO presented, government can reduce the impact on farmers due to EU regulations and plans.
Borg said that the proposals build on the first farmers' protest, and if implemented, they will greatly help the effects brought about by EU laws.
He acknowledged that this protest was the largest gathering of farmers and animal rearers in Malta's history, and did not exclude holding another protest if need be. Borg encouraged Refalo and Grech to look at the proposals and come to the table for a consultation with the farmers.
Borg handed a copy of the proposals to PN leader Bernard Grech and to Farming Minister Anton Refalo, who were both present at the protest.
Farmers representing different sectors, such as wine production, animal rearing as well as farmers from Gozo spoke about the issues their sectors have faced over the years.
Gerald Vella spoke about the wine production sector in Malta. “Today, we have lost around 1,400 tonnes of grapes, which is 30% of what used to be grown 20 years ago,” Vella said, adding that this is a result of issues which were not addressed, or addressed poorly.
“We feel that this is the responsibility of those who lead. We are here to voice our message that if there are issues, they must be addressed accordingly,” Vella said, adding that vineyards want to expand their operations.
He also said that farmers have also carried out market research on the types of grapes the Maltese consume, as at the end of the day, they believe that there should be enough for everyone. “The time when we bowed our heads and complained silently at the Pitkalija is gone,” Vella said.
Mario Abela, a pig farmer, said that the Maltese are approached only when prices for pork rise abroad, and are forgotten when this price is again lowered.
He said that it takes at least a year and a half to raise a pig, and there are not many youth farmers in the sector.
Abela said that the only road forward is for EU laws to change, explaining that there is a lot of bureaucracy for Maltese farmers, through testing and checking their products, yet imported pork, for example, is not controlled enough.
He said that there was a shortage of pork around Christmas time, and that he was not making enough money per week.
Alex Tabone, representing farmers in Gozo, said that there is “frenzied importation” of products coming from the EU, which Maltese are capable of competing against.
However, the EU is currently “punishing” EU farmers by entering into an agreement with third countries to import their products to Malta, which Maltese farmers cannot compete with.
Tabone said that third-country products often come from cheap labour, reduced subsidies on fertilizer as well as an abundant water supply, which Malta does not have.
He said that products from this agreement need to be controlled by the MCCA and the Sanitation Department, to check from where they are coming from, as “the Maltese often do not know what they are eating.”
Tabone also said that when a law is passed in the EU, the government must inform and consult with farmers, as they would know the issues on the ground. “First, speak to us, then go deal with Brussels,” Tabone said.
Agriculture Minister Anton Refalo said that he was pleased to be at the protest listening to farmers’ concerns, and said that even on Wednesday, the government had held discussions on how to better the lives of Maltese and Gozitan farmers.
Refalo said that government is committed to supporting farmers, and will never do anything against their wellbeing. “We have always listened to farmers. There is nothing dividing government and the Opposition, we agree about this,” he said.
Refalo also said that the European Union must understand that Europe is not for numbers, but for the people. He also said that the water resource in the country must be increased.
Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said that the principle must be that farmers and fishermen are the door to guaranteed food supply, and the public understands this.
He said that consultation does not start after a protest is held, but is continuous. Grech said that doing “your best” is not enough, as not only are the livelihoods of farmers at stake, but also food and water security for Maltese and Gozitans.
Grech spoke of the new water project, which he said has yet to reach all farmers. And they have yet to receive any form of aid when it comes to fertilisers, diesel, as well as electricity metres, he said. He said that the government’s role is to acknowledge when a law, even if it was done with best intentions, may have negative impacts.
Grech said that funds should not be spent recklessly, but rather used in a way so that consumers could buy more fresh Maltese products, and he said there is nothing keeping the government from doing this.
