Less pesticides, more nature, better food

The way we grow our food has a direct impact on our health and on the environment.

A2014 study grouping 30 years of research finds that fields dedicated to organic farming present 50% more wildlife than a comparable field under conventional farming. Naturally, fruit, vegetables or meat growing organically benefit not only the bees and the birds, but also the end consumers: our families, shopping at the farmers market or at the mall.

Organic produce is devoid of pesticides, growth hormones or other external substances which, although strictly regulated in conventional farming, still present a potential impact on our health over years of consumption.

With EU accession, Malta became part of EU efforts to increase organic production as a means to a healthier lifestyle and more environmental protection. As with a number of other areas however, we implemented EU laws just to tick the box. Malta did not care to promote a mentality change to really and truly promote organic production in our fields. As a result, organic farming is virtually absent in Malta. We are at the very bottom of the graph in Europe at 0.4% of our farming dedicated to organic production compared to the 24% in Austria for instance, topping the European chart.

Yet, the consumer demand is there for healthier food. How is it possible that our farmers don’t see that as an opportunity? The reasons seem to be varied, but thankfully some of them are not impossible to overcome. To start, we should put farming practices in context. Farming today has become very heavily reliant on the use of pesticides and artificial fertilisers. I had a taste of that myself as a wannabe organic farming dilettante in my little patch in Mġarr, when I frequently saw my precious future yield eaten out by pests or perishing to disease. If a professional farmer is to make organic farming pay for his children’s school, there must be incentives both from the regulator as well as from the market. Right now, those incentives are missing or dysfunctional.

Let’s start from day one of the organic farmer. Qualification as an organic producer is a rather costly exercise as, justifiably, the rules foresee an audit process. That normally starts with a hefty 500 euro starting fee and continues with regular audits to verify compliance with organic farming rules. In the beginning, we said that organic farming benefits health and environment, and it does, so should not public authority bear the burden of these entry fees? At present, that is not the case.

Once the farmer picks up the courage to go organic, he or she will need to wait for a transition period during which his land will ‘clean up’ from all the residues of conventional practices. After that, and assuming the land in question is distanced far enough from other non-organic fields with a so-called buffer-zone established by European standards, where the average field would accommodate the whole of Mġarr, the organic producer will need to come to terms with a local subsidy practice which will not give him any additional favour. In fact, while the organic producer will be prohibited form a whole series of practices in conventional agriculture, he or she is frequently put in a category of its own when it comes to EU agricultural production subsidies, basically ending up with less in the pocket at the end of the day when compared to conventional farming.

The above, coupled with the fact that the local market is not sufficiently geared to reward organic products with a higher sale price, translates into the 0.4% figure for Malta that we mentioned earlier.

Now, some of you will know that I have been touring the farms, greenhouses and fields of these islands over the past years as a political candidate for the MEP elections. I have to be honest with you. Barring three very nice exceptions when I met young farmers eager to go organic, none of the traditional farmers I met are eager to do so. They simply see no added value in it. Certainly, when your trouble from 5am to 7pm is to till the fields and sell your produce, you learn to go with the system. Changing it looks like an impossible exercise. And yet, a few policy changes coming our way from Brussels may be laying an easier path to go organic.

Next year, a new agriculture regulation will come into effect with a number of provisions which may facilitate the grouping of organic producers into a collective enterprise. Such rules may, for instance, allow for joint certification and the elimination of buffer zones in between fields if a grouping of farmers decide to go organic together.

Another important motivator for the Maltese farmer and government to go organic lies on the budgetary front. The European Union has just fixed for itself a 25% target of organic production by year 2030. Normally, the Union puts its money where its mouth is, and this is no exception. Malta’s 151 million euro allocation for EU agricultural funds for the next 7 years will be pegged to our ability to advance common EU objectives which are now heavily oriented to concrete advancement of our green credentials. This is the time to hit two birds with one stone. We can aim for healthier food for our kids and more biodiversity in our fields while promoting local produce in Malta.

Like I did in the past, I will not fail to do my part in advancing the cause of the Maltese product. This week, I organised a consultation meeting for all those interested in healthier food and organic farming in Malta. Before that, I met European Commission and industry representatives in Brussels to gather a wider understanding of how EU and national rules need to adapt to accommodate the Maltese reality. The European Commission is presently conducting a public consultation exercise on this matter. Should you be interested, go online and have your say, or get in touch to join the Maltese drive for healthier local food respecting the environment.