Residential buildings in rural areas.

As the cooperatives representing Malta’s dairy and pig farmers respectively, we at Milk Producers Cooperative Ltd – KPĦ and the Pig Breeders Cooperative Society Ltd – KIM are compelled to communicate to the public, on behalf of members, regarding the trend of people building or applying to build residences in areas dominated by agriculture, who then complain of the presence of farms in the area and request their removal or demand that no further farms be constructed there.

A case in point, which has recently received a lot of media attention, is that of the residences built in the outskirts of Magħtab. An article in The Times (August 4) came complete with an aerial photograph that clearly shows an ODZ (outside development zone) area of fields and farms, in which a handful of residential structures have been built, and not a residential area, where the construction of a farm is being proposed.

It is ridiculous that people would choose to construct homes in a rural area and then complain that the area contains or will contain farms. Moreover, it is offensive that these people should demand that farms be removed or their construction forbidden, thereby stripping the farming families of their livelihoods and enormous investments committed to provide the Maltese people with high-quality, fresh agricultural produce. It is incredible to us that these people would also resort to all sorts of allegations and, even worse, demand support from the public on this basis.

In response to the unjust claims and misleading assertions that Maltese farms constitute a risk to human health or the environment, it must be emphasised that, on the contrary, farms in Malta are compliant with and approved to meet rigid EU standards and regulations, particularly regarding hygiene, food safety, animal welfare and, most importantly, the impact on the environment.

To upgrade and keep their farms up to these standards, farmers and their families have had to invest millions of euros and this not without tremendous financial burdens and risks to their families.

Moreover, farms are regularly inspected by the relevant authorities and EU inspectors to ensure compliance. On many occasions, farms are also open to visitors – families, schoolchildren, politicians, journalists and even foreigners. As regards the alleged health risk, there is no evidence whatsoever that the people working on farms in Malta have a higher incidence of such health issues, let alone people living in the vicinity.

For those who wish to live in residential areas, away from farms, there are countless uninhabited houses for sale in village cores and residential areas around the island.

Those who prefer to live in rural settings, so be it, as long as applications for agricultural developments in these areas continue to be given priority over housing or industry for which more than half of the island is already reserved.

Instead of misleading and discouraging assertions, livestock farmers and their families deserve support for their strenuous efforts and dedication to guarantee to the Maltese consumers top quality fresh milk and meat products.