From the online comments board

Meat price rises worry butchers and importers

We all need to eat less meat, especially beef, which is most environmentally costly to produce. – Alex Grima

Yesterday, we had the restaurants, today we have the butchers, so my question is: what’s the government doing about it? – Stephen Borg

What are you doing ‘about it’? How about buying less meat or even no meat as it’s not necessary for a healthy diet? The money saved will easily buy you more healthy food with lots of change left over. Stop expecting ‘the authorities’ to sort out the first world problems in your life, start making an effort yourself for a change. – C. Cassar

What’s the worry? Robert Abela told us before the election that more cheques will be sent to make up for the cost of living. And then we will afford to buy the meat. Just wait for the next election for more cheques to come. – Joseph Galea

First it was the baker, now the butcher and next will be the candlestick maker, alias fuel gas and electricity, as that nursery rhyme goes. That cheque for €100 will not even cover these hikes in prices for more than three months. The nation was taken for a ride leading the Ġaħans to believe in the generosity of a Labour government when the government knew full well what was coming. – Carmen Delia

I’ll tell you which chickens are most expensive: the ones that are coming home to roost. The COVID chicken was first, now it’s the economy chicken. Heads up: fuel prices, passport sales, EU funding, Vitals and many more. – Christopher Ripard

Following nine years of downward pressure on wage increase through the policy of cheap labour import (authored by Muscat and Caruana), it is increasingly evident that more people are struggling and more will. The corrupt sect will now have to resort on more dependency measures and more cheques from money Malta doesn’t have will be needed, which means they will be paid by everyone’s credit card. – JJ Micallef

People will now expect cheques “to mitigate rising prices”, accompanied by a covering letter from Robert Abela and Clyde Caruana. – Jon Schembri

Photo: Shutterstock.com

Malta, notwithstanding its size, needs to rethink its farming policy. Farmers, who do not own their land, need financial help and maintain their future.

No more take up of agricultural land to replace it with concrete, tarmac and buildings.

This also applies to the fisheries section. The price of fish has, for a long time, been unreasonably high. The price of the lampuka, probably the cheapest fish on the market, has become ridiculous. One must just confirm the price of fish here and that found at any Sicilian market. Certainly it is not due to the cost of fuel, as the PL government has been boasting that Malta has the lowest fuel prices in Europe.

So why don’t we have a decent supply of fish, at affordable prices here in Malta? – Francis Said

Let’s see the bright side of this! If consumers consume less meat, there will be 20 times more cereals available for human consumption, less water, precious water, is wasted and we’ll have a cleaner environment. From the human point of view there will be people with less cholesterol and thus need less medication and hospitalisation. Whichever way you look at it, it’s a win-win situation. – Joe Borg

It is said that prices will rise 400 per cent! – Victor Vella

This a taste of things to come, it will only get more expensive. The meat and dairy industry will not last and its days are numbered. You think the refugee problem is bad now? Just wait for the climate refugee crises in a decade or two. Malta could well be part of those refugees. People need to make changes to their lifestyle now and transition to plant-based eating. The animals, the planet and your health will thank you for it. – Michael Borg

You have to be a Ġaħan to believe such things. We all went to buy meat and chicken lately but prices were never near the prices mentioned.

May I suggest that people buy from establishments that are directly involved in the importation of meat as supermarkets tend to spiral prices at their own wish. – Joe Borgo