An “alarming rat invasion” this summer has cost farmers across Malta thousands of euros, and some will carry the expenses through autumn and winter, as the crops they were meant to harvest in the coming weeks have had to be dumped.

From Marsascala to Mellieħa, rats have gnawed their way through seedlings, mature crops, vineyards, greenhouses and irrigation systems, with farmers saying the invasion could be a direct result of lack of pest control by the authorities over a number of years.

Their singular efforts at pest control do not seem to have any impact, and they fear that if no nationwide action is taken by the authorities, next year will be far worse.

“It’s been a terrible summer. One day I’m taking stock of the crops, thinking the following day I’ll be able to harvest five boxes of melons… the next day I turn up at the same field and do not find a single whole melon.

“I take a look at the tomato crops and find whole bunches missing, even before they start to ripen. The long marrow (qargħa twila) was the size of cigarettes when it disappeared. I’ve easily lost €3,000 in crops in a few weeks,” a Żabbar farmer told Times of Malta.

Apart from eating the produce, the rats also eat away at irrigation drips in search of water. In just two weeks, the farmer spent €310 to replace part of the system. And while he implements a pest control system all year round, he increased his efforts in summer, spending €90 a month on rat poison.

‘It started before June with wheat crops’ 

“It started before June with wheat crops… and after devastating our fields throughout summer, they turned to prickly pears. I don’t know where they’re coming from, but they keep coming and we are all at a loss about what to do. I’ve seen 50 at one go – it looked like the ground itself was moving. It’s never been this bad.”

A Żebbuġ farmer said he will have to replace his whole irrigation system at a cost of €4,000 because it is “beyond repair”. This on top of some €5,000 to €6,000 worth of produce that he lost because it was either eaten by the rats or not watered properly because of the damaged irrigation system.

“Two weeks after the July heatwave, I lost a whole field of cabbage to the rats. They also ate their way through the vineyard and pumpkin crops.

“We’ve always had rats, or mice, nibbling at our produce, but the damage is usually negligible, and we implement a pest control system all year long. But this summer it was scary. I spent €64 on rat poison every week, all in vain. The cats in our area are well fed so they don’t bother with the rats.”

A family of Mellieħa farmers also calculated they lost at least €10,000 in crops, water waste, irrigation and other equipment.

Some €1,000 of this was spent on replacing parts of the drip irrigation system and at least €7,000 was lost on crops that they had to throw away. A considerable amount of wasted crop was pumpkin – a product that farmers store and are able to sell throughout winter.

One of the farmers from this Mellieħa family was in such a state of despair when he saw his gnawed crops and damaged irrigation system that he just ploughed the whole field and had no energy to replant it.

‘We lost tonnes and tonnes of food’ 

“We lost tonnes and tonnes of food in a very short period of time, and this does not just impact us farmers, who are already facing challenges on all fronts – whether it’s the weather, water scarcity, pests or competition from abroad – but it also threatens the island’s food security big time.”

Another Mellieħa farmer who calculates he lost around €20,000 in one summer with implications on his winter livelihood explained that the farmers’ singular efforts at pest control were similar to “spraying bug spray in a room but leaving the doors open”.

Asked about means of pest control other than poison, he said setting up traps was a non-starter – not only because it would stop a very limited number of rats, but also because it was time-consuming, and a farmer would not have any time left to tend to the fields.

I’ve seen 50 at one go – it looked like the ground itself was moving- farmer

All farmers who spoke to Times of Malta said the population of rats was so much larger than other wildlife that the poison they spread was consumed very fast by the rats, decreasing the possibility of other wildlife coming across it.

The rats themselves are a threat to other wildlife as they eat the eggs of snakes and birds or even hoglets.

Għaqda Bdiewa Attivi and Times of Malta are aware of sightings across other parts of the island, including Żabbar; Marsascala; Qrendi; Gudja; Luqa; Żebbuġ, including Ta’ Bordin; Fomm ir-Riħ, Ħax-Xluq and Wied il-Ħesri in Siġġiewi; Attard; Rabat, including Tal-Virtu, Ġnien is-Sultan and Fiddien areas; Mġarr, including tas-Santi and tal-Abatija,  Binġemma; Buqana, Għajn Riħana and also towards Salina (Burmarrad); Xifer il-Kief (adjacent to the Victoria Lines); Miżieb; Bidnija; San Pawl tal-Qliegha (Mosta); several parts of Mellieħa, including Triq il-Prajjet and Triq Wied tal-Irdum and Manikata.