Seeds of imported indigenous plants sent out to 180,000 households are wrongly labelled “endemic” and, according to biodiversity specialist Alfred Baldacchino, risk contaminating the local gene pool.

Ambjent Malta, the government agency coordinating the project, has admitted to a “misprint” in the Maltese version.

However, it said the impact of the imported seeds on the local population of these wild plants would be “negligible”.

In April, Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia said households would receive a mix of wildflower seeds and information on how to care for them in a bid to help conserve pollinators.

The seeds originate from four native wildflower species: Sweet Alyssum (Buttuniera), Red Corn Poppy (Pepprin Aħmar), Chamomile (Kamomilla) and Borage (Fidloqqom). 

The project, run by the Environment Ministry and Ambjent Malta, forms part of the EU’s biodiversity strategy for the period 2020 to 2030.

'Indigenous, not endemic'

When Baldacchino received the seeds, he was horrified.

In an opinion piece appearing on Saturday Baldacchino writes: “The first thing which pops out of the envelope is a postcard size leaflet with a 9 by 10 cm photo of the minister (see inset). The leaflet also carries photos of four flowers whose seeds are contained in a sachet.

“The most horrible, painful, humiliating thing is the fact that under the emblem of the Government of Malta, the seeds inside are described as ‘endemic’. Is it possible that the Minster for the Environment has some difficulty with the meaning of the word ‘endemic’?”

The seeds sent out to households.

Baldacchino, who holds an MA in environmental management and is a former assistant director of the Environment Protection Directorate, was involved in transposing the EU’s environmental body of law into Maltese regulation.

He explained that the plants listed in the letter are indigenous, not endemic.

An endemic species is something that is unique to the island and cannot be found anywhere else. This is why it can never be imported.

An indigenous species grows naturally in Malta but can be found in other parts of Europe.

Given the distance between Malta and other parts of Europe they never cross-pollinate. Over time, the species evolves and becomes unique to the country.

Importing the foreign version risks contaminating the local gene pool as it spreads, Baldacchino said.

“This was purely commercial and not environmental. These four species are very common in Malta so, rather than importing them, the government could have issued a call to collect seeds from the local plants and distribute them around the island.”

Seeds distributed to 180,000 households

Herman Galea, from Ambjent Malta, said the wildflower seed mix was distributed to 180,000 households.

He continued that the four indigenous wild flowering plant species were selected following research with the aim of raising awareness among the public of the value and importance of so-called weeds to pollinators and the need to preserve wildflowers in public urban open spaces, urban fringes and managed natural sites.

The distributed seeds were ordered from a local supplier and sourced from Europe, given the quantity in weight of the seeds required.

Galea said that the financial cost of the seeds was €4,502.29 including VAT.