EU urged to assist Maltese farmers to face challenges caused by 'uncharacteristic heat'

Agriculture parliamentary secretary Roderick Galdes has asked the European Commission to find an appropriate solution to help Maltese farmers in facing the consequences of uncharacteristically high winter temperatures.

“Currently Maltese farmers are being affected by temperatures that are well above the seasonal average, threatening the harvest of fruits and vegetables,” he said speaking at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting held in Brussels.

“This is resulting in the oversupply of certain fruit and vegetables leading to lower prices due to supply being greater than demand,” he added.

Speaking about the current market situation, Galdes also noted that in the case of the dairy sector, Malta agrees on raising the volumes limit eligible for intervention to stabilize the market, adding that finding new markets was also necessary.

“Malta also supports the creation of an early warning mechanism and prevention to define different levels of crisis and provide the necessary tools to help farmers and areas of production while taking into account the national specificities,” he added.

Dealing with the pig sector, Galdes noted that the current market instability has drastically affected the pork market in Malta.

“We need future private storage schemes to take account of small farmers by establishing minimum quantities that are suitable for small-scale production.”

According to a press statement, the ministers also spoke about animal welfare during today’s meeting, where Galdes underlined Malta’s support for the establishment of a European platform on animal welfare, to not just tackle best animal welfare practices, but also to continue supporting the implementation of the current legislation across member states.

A proposal on the sustainable management of external fishing fleets was also presented to the Council, followed by an exchange of views between the ministers on the subject.

Galdes further noted that Malta would like to see a clearer text since the current wording seems to introduce new burdens in the Mediterranean where this Regulation will bring little added value.