No nitrates please

As representative of a farmers' union I was, albeit with some hiccups, invited to a meeting with Mariann Fischer Boel, EU Comissioner for Agricultrure.

Of all the places in the Maltese archipelago, Gozo was chosen as the best place for the meeting. This put us Maltese representatives in the uncomfortable situation of having to waste five-and-a-half hours of our precious time for an hour-and-a-half session. The organisers did not even deem it fit to organise transport for us. So it cost us the sum of Lm6.50 each to get there and back by car.

The meeting went quite well and proved useful in parts. I do not think the commissioner should have emphasised as much as she did that we are lucky to have been assigned a Less Favoured Area status. If Malta does not get that, which country would when considering all the constraints we have? Indeed, this is a natural right for us since nature put us in this geo-shape. If the Commission cannot see this then may God help us. One of the questions I put concerned the Water Framework Directive which in my opinion will, if put into effect, have a devastating effect on our agriculture and farming as we know it. I appealed for consideration. I am sorry to state that no reference was made to this by any on the panel. This left me puzzled.

May I now ask the organisers why they did not have the decency to offer us a glass of water at some time during the conference? Are the coffers of the nation in such a sorry state?

The Maltese participants did not comment favourably on this act of mercy! But I am positive that at least we were not exposed to nitrates.