I admit a Saturday night at the Agrifair wasn’t high on my bucket list. I’ve very poor cultivation skills, to the point I have even managed to bore a cactus plant to its premature death.

The packed parking lot outside the MFCC signalled the very good turnout for the fair, a welcome surprise maybe even for the organisers themselves. Not only is there a demand for such “networking” events for and from the farming industry but the public, too, saw it as an opportunity for a post-pandemic outing.

There couldn’t have been a better time for the Agrifair, especially with the pressures on our food supply having increased by the pandemic first, then multiplied by the war in Ukraine. Food security was the talk during X’Se Nieklu?, a debate organised by Malta Youth in Agriculture.

The idea behind this particular discussion was to bring farmers and livestock breeders together to talk about the issues in the sector. No panels, no academia, no figureheads; it was time to let the farmers themselves do the talking.

A small cohort of MPs, parliamentary secretaries, MEPs, members of the opposition and ADPD were also invited to listen to the realities faced by the speakers, without intervening to hog the discussion. Thankfully, they did their part.

For there was really a lot to take in during this 90-minute discussion. From the rising cost of animal feed to farmers not making a living of €1,000 in a month of 15-hour shifts; from the impossibility for young farmers to acquire or lease land, to those about to lose theirs and the anxieties brought about by possible eviction.

The use of agricultural land was a hot topic throughout the discussion, echoing what MaYa, Moviment Graffitti and Għaqda Bdiewa Attivi have been saying for long, while the political world watched the courts evict farmers without really galloping to the rescue.

The white paper on land leases is “expected soon”. This will prompt speculators and estate agents to come out of the woods they’ve been sitting on for years, armed with machetes and lobbyists. If written properly, this law should stop the eviction of farmers from landowners asking an extortionate €80,000-€100,000 per tumolo and also stop the transfer of fertile fields for recreational use.

Speed hasn’t been the distinct feature in Anton Refalo’s stewardship and by the time the law becomes a reality more months will pass and more evictions brought about. Why not suspend such judgments, asked a farmer, until the legal framework is clear?

Speed hasn’t been the distinct feature in Anton Refalo’s stewardship- Wayne Flask

Farming is also the chosen victim of road-building projects, which has seen arable land mercilessly gobbled up by stretches of tarmac and concrete barriers. It’s a brutal legacy which is as damaging as it is unsightly and is partly funded by the EU. The construction of these roads has, in some cases, destroyed EU-funded agricultural projects. A saddening contradiction but not the only one.

For example, President George Vella opened the legislature with an OPM speech about “more environment, less infrastructure”. Two days later, Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia stupefyingly pledged more flyovers and more controversies.

It was a busy two weeks for agriculture in the media, in between ancient landmarks in the gardens of equally ancient deities and the renewed attack by Electrofix on tar-Ragħad, in Mġarr.

Interestingly, the developer had one of the largest stands at the fair, a statement of intent about his primary interest in the sector: one based on profit, not respect for the farming community.

Joseph Schembri, of the Electrofix Group, presented new plans in an appeal in front of the planning tribunal, which at best shows his ignorance of planning procedures. But should his “unorthodox” ball play reach its goal through either EPRT or PA, questions will have to be asked about any meetings, friendships or acquaintances with people in the agriculture, economy and environment ministries. And, also, about how a monstrous project shot down unanimously by the PA was allowed to come back to life.

Refalo performed its resuscitation in public, claiming that he’s in favour of a “compromise” solution, as Electrofix’s flashy setup sparkled behind him, outshining those of the very farmers the development seeks to trample.

The Electrofix stand at the AgriFair. Photo: Jonathan Borg

It was the loudest gaffe ever uttered by a minister for agriculture, who decided to reopen the dances instead of representing the farmers’ anger. His declaration may have riled members of his own staff, who now risk having to deal with the fallout from two, not one, heavy stones in the minister’s backyard.

The flow of the discussion seemed to have raised the temperature by a notch. The heat spurred Brian Vella, CEO of the Malta Food Agency, and Bjorn Azzopardi, director (policy development and programmes) at the ministry, to intervene. Vella spoke loudly of the success of the long due Pitkalija reform; Azzopardi rolled out a list of projects and achievements. But both told the audience to “see beyond the negativity”.

The aim of the discussion was to get the bureaucrats to listen. Telling somebody to see the light if they’re at the dark end of their individual tunnel is dismissive. In a context where men in white shirts say it to farmers during a forum between farmers, it sounds preposterous, almost classist.

I did agree with Azzopardi on his call for farmers to join forces and not only because it is an indirect admission that the government has failed to protect them. For way too long, disunity in the sector has been abused to sow the seeds of greed and destruction, from speculation to road building and construction.

Those very diseases have eaten away at our farmland, its workforce and the motivations of young farmers.

One hopes this discussion and other lessons from the Agrifair will open up the ministry’s windows to let in a new wind, a change in mentality, where ‘negativities’ translate into ‘opportunities’ to inject new life in our agriculture.

As for our faith, that has been tested for long.