Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1538544
4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 AUGUST 2025 INTERVIEW Malcolm Borg: 'We have a problem because we see agricultural land as developable space' MALCOLM Borg believes Malta has a problem because it sees agricultur- al land as "developable land" and the "sacrificial lamb on the altar of devel- opment". Nonetheless, the president of Għaq- da Bdiewa Attivi, an NGO represent- ing farmers, says he was pleasantly surprised when government pub- lished new regulations to ensure agri- cultural land is used for farming. He notes the recent trend of peo- ple with no agricultural background buying land for recreational purpos- es. This has led to conflicts between farmers and non-farmers, Borg tells me, with the latter complaining about practices such as the use of manure, bee hives and pesticides. Borg acknowledges that develop- ment is needed but insists there are limits and that agricultural land can- not be the "sacrificial lamb" whether this is capricious or otherwise. While acknowledging that Malta can never be self-sufficient in terms of its food production, he says the coun- try can do a lot more to be resilient. Borg further warns against a situation that leaves Malta at the mercy of in- ternational corporations and food production powerhouses. On climate change and its impact on farmers, Borg says that its effects are already being felt in the form of altered crops and yields. He notes that research and the creation of resilient products hold the key to ensuring that farmers keep their jobs, and food pro- duction does not nosedive. Malcolm Borg believes it is in the national interest that the country protects lands that produce food. But the head of Għaqda Bdiewa Attivi tells Matthew Farrugia that the general attitude towards agricultural land is wrong because it presumes a field is there to be developed. The main aim of this law is to preserve agricultural land. We only have little of it and it's vital because it produces food.