Stagnant political will, increased bureaucracy and lack of traceability at Pitkalija are some of the challenges that the first farmers’ organisation is flagging.
For too long farmers been left to their own devices, battling higher customer expectations and stricter regulations with very limited technical assistance. In the meantime, they have increasingly been alienated from consumers, Malcolm Borg said at the launch of the Għaqda Bdiewa Attivi on Friday.
“Farmers are tired of trying to keep up with lengthy bureaucratic processes, working more than 14 hours every day and not even covering their expenses. They are resilient, but resilience is being abused by the authorities, especially by those promising reforms that never materialised.”
Reluctance by farmers to get together was a worldwide phenomenon, however, never until today has the need been greater for Maltese farmers, custodians of our environment and guardians of fresh food on our tables, to come together, he said.
“Farmers toil the soil in silence. I recall people’s shock when they learnt that virgin land – five times the size of the Floriana granaries – was being turned into petrol stations, but little do they know that…
