Moviment Graffitti activists joined Żurrieq farmers, residents, and other groups in front of the Lands Authority, where a press conference was held to call for the immediate halting of an application that seeks to destroy agricultural land still in active use.
In Tal-Bebbux, Żurrieq, the Lands Authority gave its approval for a large stretch of government-owned fields, still cultivated by farmers, to be destroyed for development, the participants said. The application in question, for a plot of land measuring 11,000 square metres, could only be submitted to the Planning Authority after the Lands Authority granted permission to the developer to proceed.PC/00068/22 - an application that seeks to allow the construction of a series of buildings and a new road through the fields - can be stopped immediately if the Lands Authority withdraws its consent.
One of the farmers working that government land, Robert Bondin Carter, told the media how he found a notice posted on the wall instructing him to leave the field, which he and his family had worked for entire generations. Shortly after, he found another notification about the application submitted by a private developer seeking to develop the land for construction, something no one had ever spoken to him about.
He referred not only to his own anger and that of other farmers who genuinely work this land, but also to the thousands of Maltese and Gozitans who formally objected to this application with the Planning Authority.
Bondin Carter pointed out how Europe had just issued a warning regarding the need to safeguard food supplies due to the dangerous international situation. He accused the Government of shortsightedness in threatening the local food supply by continuing to prioritise land speculation over the common good. He concluded by calling on Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, who is standing for election in the Żurrieq district, to take the necessary action to halt this application, and also appealed to the Government, which he described as a "socialist", to allow farmers to continue their work.
Another farmer working the land, Annalisa Schembri, stated that this is a matter of common sense, of what is just and obvious. She emphasised that the farmer, the citizen, and the Lands Authority, in a just society, should not be on opposing fronts because decisions should be made in favor of the land and the open spaces of our country. She questioned why young farmers should be threatened and lose part of their livelihood simply because a private developer, who owns land adjacent to theirs, decided to extend development onto their land.
Malcolm Borg, from the Għaqda Bdiewa Attivi, pointed out how the Lands Authority has a history of making decisions against farmers and has never been willing to engage in honest dialogue to improve the situation for agriculture. He highlighted how Malta came very close to facing a severe food crisis during the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He said that during that time, we were playing with fire, and asked, "What are we waiting for, to be burned?" Malcolm stressed that agricultural land can no longer be considered land waiting to be built on, and that cultivation is a matter of the social and common good.The press conference concluded with a call for Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi and the Lands Authority to immediately stop this application, with the participants insisting that the fight will continue until fields prevail over greed.
Għaqda Bdiewa Attivi, Għaqda Residenti taż-Żurrieq, Malta Youth in Agriculture (MaYA), Azzjoni: Tuna Artna Lura, BirdLife Malta, Din l-Art Ħelwa, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Friends of the Earth Malta, Il-Kollettiv, Moviment Graffitti, Nature Trust - FEE Malta, Ramblers' Association of Malta and The Archaeological Society Malta took part.