Farmers’ subsidies for 2013 spent in pre-electoral arrears

A total of €2.3 million in subsidies earmarked for farmers growing tomatoes, grapes, fruits and other vegetables, was spent in just three months during the 2013 election period, in arrear payments.

The information, tabled in parliament by environment minister Leo Brincat, was in reply to a PQ by Nationalist MP Ryan Callus, who questioned why the 2013 subsidies were never paid.

In his reply, Brincat revealed that the subsidies – the special market policy programme for Maltese agriculture (SMPPMA) – had been spent in January, February and March 2013 “as arrear payments to other sectors that did not have any money voted for them” in the previous budget.

In the breakdown he listed, Brincat revealed that the agricultural subsidies had used for other purposes, amongst them:

Arrears to milk producers (€171,538), payments to the Ta’ Qali Producers Group (€203,824), the drafting of the National Agricultural Policy (€90,100), a €40,000 part-payment for a pig vaccination scheme, and €103,000 in subsidies to the Pitkalija sellers, amongst other expenses and arrears on the SMPPMA subsidies of 2011.

“The result of this bad administration of funds, the remaining balance of €176,573 from the €2.3 million that were allocated should have paid €737,000 in payments for fruit and vegetable subsidies in 2012, €760,000 for vineyards, €170,000 for Pitkalija sellers, and €700,000 for fruit and vegetable farmers in 2013,” Brincat told Callus in parliament.

New discussions with the finance minister, for an adequate provision of funds in the 2015 Budget were already taking place, Brincat said.

“This is what this administration has inherited, and it is shameful that the Opposition capitalised on a situation it was responsible of having created.”