Maltese beekeepers are missing out on EU subsidies due to the “copy paste implementation” of European rules that make no distinction between small member states and larger countries, an MEP candidate has lamented.   

Peter Agius, who is running on the Nationalist Party ticket in the forthcoming May 25 election, levelled this criticism when meeting beekeepers. 

“Rules designed for Poland and France, where the average agricultural holding is 100 times bigger than Malta’s are making it impossible for them to tap into the €125 EU funding subsidy per bee box,” Dr Agius said. 

He added that EU rules could have been adapted to suit the needs of the apiculture industry in Malta, as part of the ongoing efforts to protect home-grown Apis Mellifera Rutneri, which is an endemic bee particularly well suited to Malta. 

“Instead, we have a copy-paste approach, forcing beekeepers to move bee boxes every year with a view to promote an objective, which makes sense in France but is totally ridiculous in Malta,” he said. 

While EU rules foresee bee box movements to ensure wider pollination on holdings spanning kilometres, in Malta such a measure is “futile” given that a bee can travel five kilometres and the existing bee boxes cover Malta and Gozo’s pollination needs 10 times over. 

Moreover, Dr Agius noted that Malta’s implementation measures required evidence of a title deal with the farmer, which he said was very difficult to obtain. Such restrictions meant that Maltese beekeepers could not tap EU funds, he said.

The MEP candidate called on the Maltese government to adapt European Union rules to the needs of various economic sectors in collaboration with MEPs who could also amend EU legislation. 

Dr Agius warned that failure to do so could lead to disenchantment about the benefits of European Union membership, and ultimately lead to confrontation with Brussels.