Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/691413
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 12 JUNE 2016 41 This Week The griffon vulture is one of the biggest birds of Europe. It is certainly one of the most impressive, whether it's soaring like a big dark oblong sail or hunching ominously over a carcass like a hag straight out of Macbeth. It is also not the sort of bird you would expect to see in Malta – it has only been recorded twice (and shot down on both occasions) – as it's not particularly fond of migrating. So the griffon (avultun prim) that turned up last week caused quite a sensation, more so as this particular bird didn't fly here but steamed in on a ship! We have no idea where it came from but it was probably a stowaway from Spain, where this declining species is still relatively common. Luckily BirdLife was called to the rescue and the juvenile bird, which was on the point of expiry from starvation, was gently pulled back from the edge. Maximus, as it was nicknamed, is now recovering in a raptor centre in Sicily, from where it will be released to join a small griffon colony in the Nebrodi mountains. GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 413: FIND OUT MORE: Find out more about the Supply Cha!nge project and Unfair Trading Practices by visiting http://www. foemalta.org/links/utp Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation - www.foemalta.org/donate Text Victor Falzon Photo Ray Galea 510. GRIFFON VULTURE The European Parliament has this week responded to a communication by the European Commission on Unfair Trading Practices (UTPs). They've send a strong message to upgrade the current fig leaf and get real on UTPs. Friends of the Earth Malta together with a coalition of 29 NGOs united in the Supply Cha!nge project now look forward to see a bold step forward by the European Commission. This vote shows that the European Parliament wants to see fairer trade relations between Europe and the Global South. Now it is the task of the European Commission to finally take steps to draft a binding directive to protect farm workers and small holder farmers from the increased and by now huge power of supermarkets and multinational food companies over the supply chain. The European Parliament vote is in line with the petitions of the Make Fruit Fair and Supply Cha!nge campaigns, where 61.000 Europeans said that they are against the currently dominant unfair trading practices. Friends of the Earth Malta welcomes the fact that the European Parliament has accepted that the Supply Chain Initiative is not enough to eradicate Unfair Trading Practices from the food supply chain. The plenary vote at the European Parliament of the Czesak' report was successful according to our demands. We celebrate that MEPs have sent a clear message to the European Commission, highlighting that the issue of private-own brands requires particular attention from the Commission and competition authorities." EU Parliament tells commission to get rid of unfair trading practices Agriculture in Malta – an old issue on young shoulders I spent most of my childhood in a wheelbarrow being carted around the garden by my par- ents. Or running, biking and hav- ing a whale of a time in the fields surrounding our home. Farming was, to my knowledge, 'help- ing' pick potatoes, playing hide and seek between prickly pears, climbing trees and eating the best naspli and tut from the top before the birds get them. While my brothers quickly lost interest in these shenanigans, I developed a fascination with the natural environment and later on, chose to study Animal Man- agement at MCAST Agribusiness. It was inconceivable to most of my peers and family why I would choose to study an agricultural subject, even more so at a voca- tional institute, despite the fact that I chose this path level-headed and willingly. This type of attitude is one of the reasons why today's youth are much less inclined to continue in this vein locally. Of course, there are a multitude of factors that exacer- bate this issue. Today farmers have to adapt to expensive new technologies, climate change, lack of expert support and conflicting policies, and especially a difficulty to compete with EU and international producers just to make ends meet. While in my naspli-picking days, the cor- ner store and street hawker were where you would get fresh produce, today the super- markets have taken over in Malta, some of which are even international chains. Supermarkets in Malta have had the effect of practi- cally obliterating the small store owner. There is no way the two can compete on such an uneven playing field. Similarly, Maltese farmers at the pitkalija cannot compete with foreign producers. Firstly, these products are produced and bought en masse thus cut- ting production costs. Secondly, when it comes to imports from outside of the EU one must keep in mind that most countries have more lax environmental and food safety policies, which put less of a strain on the farmer to comply. This results in our market being flooded with products that are sub-par compared to EU standards, produced at lower costs and possibly harm- ful to human health due to the fact that our testing facilities do not have the capacity for 100% sampling. Add to this the high nitrification levels caused by previous mismanagement of re- sources, drought and high salinity levels of water bodies, and you've got yourself a co- nundrum: should Maltese agriculture cease to exist for a while, or even indefinitely? It seems like the easiest solution for these is- sues. In my humble opinion, putting a stop to Maltese agriculture is short sighted at best. Agriculture in Malta provides us with not only (partial) food security especially in the case of crises, but is an integral part of our cultural, social and recreational, econom- ic (directly through retail and indirectly through activities such as tourism) and even ecological fabric. These immeasurable as- pects of agriculture go beyond resource use and GDP share, and are an intangible part of what it is to be Maltese. Thankfully it seems that the current legis- lature is of the same idea, if the proposal for a long overdue Agriculture Policy is to be interpreted as such. While it is perhaps late to change today's youth and encourage them to take up this practice, it is essential that growing up, chil- dren are exposed to natural environments and experience growing food first hand. How can we expect future generations to care when they are detached from the natural environment? This is exactly what the Ġnien Naqra Qatra project is all about – teaching basic gardening to kindergarten kids in the hope that one day, they will be- come the farmers of the future. Elena Portelli is an environmental activ- ist collaborating with several organizations such as Friends of the Earth Malta and Front Ħarsien ODZ, project leader for Greenhouse Malta and facilitator of a community gar- dening project 'Ġnien Naqra Qatra' – Eco- logical Reading Garden Elena Portelli