At the meeting of the Council of Ministers for Agriculture in Brussels, which was attended by Minister Anton Refalo, the Council’s conclusions on the action plan on organic production were agreed.
In her speech, Malta said that it agrees that there should be a balanced approach between demand and supply in order to ensure that this sector is profitable and short supply chains are fostered. Malta emphasized that there should be direct investment to help the agricultural sector increase its organic production. This will help make the sector more dependent on imports of organic products. Malta reiterated that it agrees that the different specifications and starting points of various member states should be taken into account.
The European Union’s position in the ongoing negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on subsidies in the agriculture and fisheries sectors was also discussed. Here, Malta emphasized the importance of dividing the subsidy of the tax exemption on fuel used by fishing vessels, especially for the artisanal fishing fleet. This is because artisanal fishing uses negligible fishing practices and fishing efforts that have a low impact on the environment compared to larger vessels.
Malta supported a request from the Croatian delegation for the European Commission to examine all options available for the stabilization of the animal husbandry sectors due to rising feed prices. In fact, in recent months, Malta has always reiterated that the constant increase in this cost is a major concern for livestock producers in the Maltese islands. This is because in addition to the increase in feed prices on international markets, island member states such as Malta face an additional increase in transport costs to import commodities.
