Call for promotion of organic farming

The environmental NGO Nature Trust has called for the promotion of organic farming as a means of reducing the amount of nitrates in drinking water.

The NGO said it supported the efforts of the Water Services Corporation to improve the quality of drinking water but it felt the process would have been more in the interest of the general public if organic farming was encouraged and supported.

Water quality in parts of Malta and Gozo fails to meet EU standards in the levels of nitrates and chlorine, it said. The presence of nitrates in groundwater is the result of contamination from fertilisation of agricultural land and from leakage from sewage drains, the NGO added, calling for a sustained strategy to support farmers wishing to use organic farming methods.