The government has been urged to immediately intervene to stop a situation which is seeing farmers evicted from fields they have tilled for many years.
Eighteen organisations in a joint statement on Wednesday observed that the Agricultural Leases Board has been ordering the eviction of farmers after the Constitutional Court ruled in November 2020 that the law denied landowners their fundamental rights.
The court had found that the law which effectively granted the farmers an indefinite right of renewal of their lease, breached the owners’ fundamental rights.
The developing situation, the organisations warned, will have a major negative impact on society and the environment.
"Dozens of farmers will lose their livelihood, while the land they manage will fall in the hands of those who have neither the intention nor knowledge on how to farm it, or utilised for purposes that are not necessarily agricultural."
The situation would also impact domestic food production.
The organisations acknowledged that in some cases, the rent paid for private land was ridiculous, saying it would be wise to revise such prices so that landowners would be more justly compensated.
"However, such a price must never be based on the land’s market value. Agricultural land has social and environmental purposes, and therefore, its value cannot be determined only by the lands’ commercial prices. The primary scope of agricultural land is food production that is accessible and affordable to everyone. Therefore, the producers’ profit margins can never afford high rents as these costs would not be economically feasible," the organisations said.
They urged the government to urgently intervene with a solution that would be fair for everybody.
The statement was signed by: Malta Youth in Agriculture Foundation; Għaqda Bdiewa Attivi; Farmers’ Central Coop Society Ltd.; Koperattiva Bdiewa Mġarr; Koperattiva Bdiewa Qormi u Għawdex; Koperattiva Bdiewa Żabbar; Koperattiva Bdiewa Rabat; Koperattiva Bdiewa Dingli; Koperattiva Bdiewa Siġġiewi u Ħaż-Żebbuġ; Koperattiva Bdiewa San Pawl il-Baħar; Malta Beekeepers Association; Għaqda Produtturi ta’ l-Għasel Malti; Breeds of Origin Conservancy; Koperattiva tat-Tadam għal-Ipproċessar Ltd; Koperattiva Produtturi tat-Tadam; Vitimalta; Xirka Produtturi Nagħaġ u Mogħoż and Malta Organic Agricultural Movement.
ADPD support
In a statement, the ADPD political party declared its support for the farmers,
Party chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said: "It is clear that the protection afforded to the farming community is slowly disappearing. An urgent Parliamentary intervention to re-establish the protection of our farmers and agricultural land is essential. Farming is already downtrodden: as a result of these decisions matters will get considerably worse. The countryside will now be neglected more than ever as the few remaining farmers will soon disappear. We express our solidarity with farmers and with the organisations representing them. Who will be the last farmer?"