‘Yes Men’ take over as independent advisors kicked off PA’s agri panel

A panel which advises the Planning Authority on development in agricultural areas is now restricted to government officials

Case officers often cited the AAC's disagreement as justification for refusing the development of agricultural justification for refusing the development of agricultural stores - usually a pretext for residential development in rural areas.
Case officers often cited the AAC's disagreement as justification for refusing the development of agricultural justification for refusing the development of agricultural stores - usually a pretext for residential development in rural areas.

The Planning Authority’s new agricultural advisory committee (AAC) has been changed under the new planning law, which did away with the possibility of appointing independent members to this consultative panel.

The committee advises the PA on any development on agricultural land.

But it is now exclusively composed of government officials, a spokesperson for parliamentary secretary Deborah Schembri has confirmed.

The new law approved last year has stripped the committee of its original powers, which included that of assessing whether there is “a genuine need” of any proposed development. 

In fact the original committee over the past months, which included both government officials and independent members, often cited the lack of “genuine need” in various objections to developments proposed in the countryside.  

Case officers often cited the AAC’s disagreement as justification for refusing the development of agricultural stores – usually a pretext for residential development in rural areas.

Last week MaltaToday reported that the original members of the committee, who included Sammy Vella, the former independent mayor of Mellieha, an agricultural expert and chairman of the Majjistral park, were not even informed that they were being removed.

Contacted by MaltaToday last week, Sammy Vella expressed his

disappointment at the way the members of the committee were replaced. “I have written to the Prime Minister to tell him that courtesy demands that members of an official committee are informed when their services are

no longer required,” he said.

Three months ago Sammy Vella had written to the Prime Minister expressing concern on a number of permits awarded, despite the contrary advice of the AAC and to a number of cases where the advice of the AAC was not even sought.

The terms of reference for the new committee, issued in 2014, stated that it was to be composed “of persons of integrity and experts”. But the new law effectively purged the committee of independent members and restricted membership to government officials.

Article 66 of the Development Planning Act requires that the members of the Committee shall be “representatives of the departments, agencies and authorities responsible for agriculture, veterinary services, resources and public health”. 

The new law also makes no reference to several of the functions ascribed to the committee whose terms of reference included “safeguarding agriculture from industrial development”, “assessing whether there is a genuine need,” and “to decide whether any change of use into anything which is not agricultural is supported by sound justification.”

In the new law the Agricultural Advisory Committee powers are limited to providing “professional and expert advice” to the Planning Board on development applications related to agriculture and other development outside the development zone. 

The Committee can also evaluate development proposals and state whether the proposed interventions would benefit or hinder sustainable agriculture. The Committee can also “suggest methods as to how a development proposal may be rendered acceptable in terms of sustainable agriculture, farm, and rural development”. The Agricultural Advisory Committee also collates information regarding development applications related to agriculture.

The government spokesperson said that the new committee would ensure a “smooth consultation process without unnecessary delays in view of the limited time to submit replies.”

Since board members are all government officials they also “have access to the relevant information systems held by the departments, the required knowledge and the expertise to take prompt decisions”.

The new members of the committee are Charlo Camilleri, Director Plant Health within the Ministry for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change; Frankie Ivan Caruana, Assistant Director Agriculture within the Agriculture Directorate, Ministry for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change; Duncan Chetcuti Ganado, Senior Veterinary Officer within the Veterinary Regulations Directorate; James Gauci, Manager within the Rural Development Department; Joseph Zammit, Livestock Entitlement Co-Ordinator within the Veterinary Regulations Directorate; Manuel Sapiano, Chief Technical Officer within the Sustainable Energy and Water Conservation Unit; and  Sandro Sammut, Senior Environmental Health Practitioner within the Environmental Health Directorate.