Protest: Farmers want fertilizer subsidies, better analysis of products imported from outside EU

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. 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 for 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 Prime Minister 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, the Mrieħel bypass, the 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 for agriculture and EU rules that reward farmers for leaving fields fallow - a technique to allow land to recover - saying this was an incentive for landowners to keep land unproductive.

The protest was organised by Għaqda Bdiewa Attivi, which said it had 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 on board 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 number 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, for example, by 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, to ensure that such food is of a high enough quality to meet that reached by local production.

Another proposal is that a subsidy should be given for 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 feed (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 he said most of the imported food enters the country.

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 asked.

He said that with the proposals the NGO presented, government can reduce the impact EU regulations and plans have on farmers.

He acknowledged that this protest was the largest gathering of farmers and those involved in rearing animals in Malta’s history, and did not exclude holding another protest if needed. Borg encouraged Refalo and Opposition Leader Bernard Grech, who was also present, to look at the proposals and come to the table for a consultation with the farmers.

Farmers representing different sectors, such as wine production and animal rearing, as well as farmers from Gozo, spoke about the issues their sectors have faced over the years.

Agriculture Minister Anton Refalo said that he was pleased to be at the protest listening to farmers’ concerns, and said that even up to 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 which compromises 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.

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 so is food and water security for Maltese and Gozitans.

Grech spoke of the new water project, which he said has yet to reach all farmers, who are also yet to receive any form of aid when it comes to fertilisers, diesel, and electricity metres. He said that the government’s role is to acknowledge when a law may have negative impacts, even when it is done with the best intentions.

Grech said that funds should not be spent recklessly, but rather used in a way which allows consumers to buy more fresh Maltese products, and he said that there is nothing keeping the government from doing this.