Farmland reform seeks to protect Malta’s food production potential

Landowners of agricultural land are still able to use their field for hunting and weekend barbecues but new rules oblige them to plough the land once a year. 

The new regulations introduced recently are intended to protect agricultural land from being degraded, even if the owners are not farmers, Sharlo Camilleri tells MaltaToday. 

Camilleri is the permanent secretary in the Agriculture Ministry and over the past fortnight since the rules came into force has had to correct several mistaken impressions. 

The rules caused a stir in the hunting community, where individuals often possess land that is not farmed but used as a hunting ground. The rules also raised question marks among non-farmers who own or rent agricultural land and use it for recreational purposes—holding picnics or barbecues. 

But it is one particular regulation that raised the spectre of government taking possession of private land if this is not used for agricultural purposes, which ruffled feathers. 

Camilleri immediately shuts down the speculation that government will usurp private land. He insists the government will only “temporarily occupy” agricultural land that remains unclaimed and unregistered. 

“These rules have introduced a register of agricultural land,” he explains, adding that around 80% of farmland is already registered with the authorities as part of obligations under various existing laws. The new rules, he says, create a unified register and the authorities have given unregistered landowners or tenants six months to comply. 

“If a field remains unregistered and no one comes forward after 12 months, the Agricultural Resources Agency will have the power to register it in its name, clean it up, and lease it out on a yearly basis for agricultural use,” Camilleri explains. 

However, he emphasises, if someone does show up after some years with proof that the land belongs to them “it can be claimed back”. 

“The existing lease will be allowed to run its course until the next September to give the farmer chance to collect their yield and the land will be registered to its owner with the agency passing on any income it had received from the lease to the owner,” Camilleri says. 

He insists that in these “rare instances” government will never assume ownership of the land but only occupy it temporarily so that the agricultural potential is not left to degrade over time. 

“It is a question of giving value to agricultural land and preserving its use for future generations,” Camilleri says. 

He returns to the issue of alternative uses for agricultural land that is not used to produce food. 

“The rules do not stop alternative uses for fields, so, if someone is renting a field with intention of holding family picnics in it, or as a bird hunting ground, they can still do so as long as the activity does not degrade the agricultural potential of the land,” Camilleri says. 

But there is a minimum obligation that will be imposed. “The land will have to be ploughed at least once a year and taken care of so that the agricultural potential is retained.” 

Owners of agriculture land that is registered and who fail to satisfy the basic requirements for maintaining it will incur fines, Camilleri says. 

He explains that the new rules stem from the commitment made by the Agriculture Ministry in 2022 as part of the reform to protect agricultural land. 

“We have a duty to ensure agricultural land remains usable for the future. It is important for Malta’s food security. Admittedly, Malta was never self-sufficient in food production let alone today but it is important to ensure domestic food production continues to exist because it can give us resilience in times of emergency like we experienced during the COVID pandemic,” Camilleri says.