Organic farming committee set up

A committee for organic farming was set up yesterday by the Rural Affairs and the Environment Ministry to draw up a strategy for organic farming for Malta.

The committee is made up of various NGOs involved in organic farming in Malta, the Consumer Affairs Division representing the consumers' rights, the Malta Standards Authority, which is responsible for certification of organic products, and the Agricultural Services and Rural Development Division, which will act as the authority responsible for regulating the EU legislation of organic farming.

The committee, chaired by Francis Agius, parliamentary secretary responsible for agriculture and fisheries, will be studying a report by two Italian experts from the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari.

The report studies the situation of organic farming in Malta and suggests various ways for the sector to move forward.

The report led to the setting up of an organic farming unit within the parliamentary secretariat responsible for agriculture and fisheries.

Dr Agius presented the members of the committee with a copy of the new organic farming regulations which will be published by May 1. He said the regulations would implement the council regulation 2092/91 on organic farming. It would also create for the first time in Malta a set-up that will allow the certification of Maltese organic products.