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Oops! Who got the wrong ġbejna? Metsola jibe backfires on Agius Saliba
Farmer cuts down Alex Agius Saliba to size after MEP ridicules Roberta Metsola for posing with the ‘wrong’ ġbejna: ‘Those ġbejniet are from Żebbuġ, Gozo and are tan-nagħaġ’
22 January 2025, 4:52pm
Kurt Sansone
Kurt Sansone
2 min read
Roberta Metsola's photo (left) that led to Alex Agius Saliba's gbejna jibe
It started when Roberta Metsola broke the news on Facebook that the ġbejna tan-nagħaġ received the EU’s stamp of approval as a protected food heritage.
Posting a photo of herself eating a ġbejna, the European Parliament president said this Maltese food made of sheep’s milk will join the list of other protected artisanal and regional European foods such as Italy’s Parmiggiano Reggiano and Greece’s Feta.
This could hardly be the stuff of political controversy, one would think. But in wades Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba – there’s no love lost between him and Metsola – with a claim that the ġbejna in Metsola’s photo is made of cow’s milk and thus not the protected version. He also lambasted the EP president for not congratulating Agriculture Minister Anton Refalo and Parliamentary Secretary Alicia Bugeja Said for persevering with the efforts to secure the ġbejna’s status.
But did the European Parliament president make a faux pas and pose with the wrong ġbejna in her rush to break the news before anyone else?
The answer was provided by the very same Gozitan farmer who had given Metsola the ġbejna seen in the photo.
In a comment beneath Agius Saliba’s Facebook post, Carmelo Saliba, a former Nationalist mayor and part time farmer, confirmed the ġbejna in the picture was produced by his holding and is made of sheep’s milk.
“My friend Alex Agius Saliba, we have met and talked. Those ġbejniet are from Żebbuġ, Gozo and are tan-nagħaġ and whenever you want come over to taste them like Roberta had done,” Saliba wrote.
An indignant Agius Saliba fired back and with a photo of Carmelo Saliba posing next to Metsola: “I salute you; I did not know that apart from being an ex-Nationalist mayor of Żebbuġ you were also a ġbejna enthusiast.”
But Carmelo Saliba was having none of the MEP’s jibes: “For your information I am the son of farmers and I retained the fields my father had. I am a registered part time farmer. When are you coming over? I will welcome you, don’t worry, like I welcomed our Roberta. Just because we disagree, there is nothing wrong. We will remain friends, at least we are both Saliba.”
It seems, Agius Saliba picked the wrong ġbejna fight in this petty war of words with his political nemesis.
This article is part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. This article reflects only the author’s view. The action was co-financed by the European Union in the frame of the European Parliament's grant programme in the field of communication. The European Parliament was not involved in its preparation and is, in no case, responsible for or bound by the information or opinions expressed in the context of this action. In accordance with applicable law, the authors, interviewed people, publishers or programme broadcasters are solely responsible. The European Parliament can also not be held liable for direct or indirect damage that may result from the implementation of the action.
Kurt Sansone is Executive Editor of MaltaToday.
He was formerly deputy editor of MaltaTod...
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