{"id":49905,"date":"2025-06-26T16:41:21","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T15:41:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/?p=49905"},"modified":"2025-06-26T16:41:21","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T15:41:21","slug":"farmers-and-ranchers-recognized-for-their-work-in-the-sector","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/26\/farmers-and-ranchers-recognized-for-their-work-in-the-sector\/","title":{"rendered":"Farmers and ranchers recognized for their work in the sector"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Under the patronage of the President of Malta, Her Excellency Myriam Spiteri Debono, and in the presence of the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights Anton Refalo, the annual Imnarja exhibition was opened. The opening of the exhibition, which focuses on the Maltese goat, took place at Verdala Castle. During this event, a number of workers in the sector were recognised.<\/p>\n<p>This annual event celebrates Malta&#8217;s agricultural heritage and recognises the work and dedication of farmers, producers and those who have started working in the sector. During the evening, various awards were presented to individuals and families who have demonstrated excellence and innovation in their respective agricultural fields.<\/p>\n<p>In her speech, President Myriam Spiteri Debono highlighted the unique value of Maltese produce, the fruit of the hard work, dedication and love of farmers and ranchers. While appealing for Maltese farmers and ranchers to continue to be supported, to continue producing sustainably and competing in the market, the President recalled that local produce contributes to consuming healthier and better quality food, while preserving agricultural traditions, which form our cultural identity.<\/p>\n<p>Minister Anton Refalo reiterated that these awards aim to encourage continued investment, innovation and sustainable practices in the agricultural and livestock sectors in Malta. The event also highlighted the Ministry&#8217;s continued commitment to supporting local farmers and ensuring the future of traditional Maltese agriculture.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This exhibition is not simply an exhibition \u2013 it is a tribute to those farmers who have passed on knowledge with great dedication for generations. It is also an educational opportunity, especially for young people, to learn about the importance of sustainable farming and indigenous livestock. We are committed to continuing to offer support to those who raise the Maltese goat, through schemes, research and collaboration with relevant institutions. Our goal is to see this breed grow again and be appreciated for what it truly is, a gem of our country,&#8221; concluded Minister Refalo.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The prizes awarded were as follows:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Fruit and Vegetable Productivity Award<\/strong> \u2013 Edward Bezzina, whose dedication, innovation and commitment led to a remarkable increase in the production and efficiency of his agricultural operations.<\/li>\n<li><strong>New Fruit and Vegetable Farmer Award<\/strong> \u2013 Clive Sant, who despite being new to the industry, quickly demonstrated impressive skills, enthusiasm and thus demonstrated great potential and dedication in the fruit and vegetable farming sector.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Large Animal Productivity Award<\/strong> \u2013 Frankie and Sean Cauchi. They increased the number of shearing machines from 28 in 2023 to 59 in 2024, achieving an increase of 111%.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Small Farm Animal Productivity Award<\/strong> \u2013 Raymond Schembri, as a category had an increase in the amount of rabbits raised and also began using the new slaughterhouse facility.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Milk and\/or Egg Productivity Award<\/strong> \u2013 Angelo Bilocca, was nominated for the excellent quality of the milk produced by the sheep and also for the efficiency of production.<\/li>\n<li><strong>New Farmer in Meat Production<\/strong> \u2013 Leli Spiteri, Angelico Spiteri and Christian Farrugia. The farm in question had ceased production for a number of years. In 2024, however, together with the younger generations of his family, he resumed production by engaging in meat cattle breeding and the production of small grazing animals. Thus they achieved an increase in production of 17.5 LU (15 cows and 2.5 small grazing animals).<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Best Sustainable Farm<\/strong> \u2013 Isaac Sciberras, a young farmer who is taking over the management of the farm from his father. This is a certified organic farm where a number of fruits and vegetables are grown and animals such as sheep are raised. Isaac is also making use of European funds to continue investing in his farm to make it more sustainable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Also recognised on this evening was Joseph Muscat, known as \u0120u\u017cu tal-Be\u017cu\u017ca, one of the last custodians of the Maltese goat and who left an intangible legacy that he cherished throughout his life.<\/p>\n<p><em>Photo: MAFA<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_49905\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"49905\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Under the patronage of the President of Malta, Her Excellency Myriam Spiteri Debono, and in the presence of the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights Anton Refalo, the annual Imnarja exhibition was opened. The opening of the exhibition, which focuses on the Maltese goat, took place at Verdala Castle. During this event, a number [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_49905\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"49905\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 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class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":49906,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-49905","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-local-news"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PR251124c.jpg",450,300,false],"thumbnail":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PR251124c-150x100.jpg",150,100,true],"medium":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PR251124c-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PR251124c.jpg",450,300,false],"large":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PR251124c.jpg",450,300,false],"1536x1536":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PR251124c.jpg",450,300,false],"2048x2048":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PR251124c.jpg",450,300,false],"td_0x420":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PR251124c.jpg",450,300,false],"td_80x60":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PR251124c-80x60.jpg",80,60,true],"td_218x150":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PR251124c-218x150.jpg",218,150,true],"td_324x400":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PR251124c-324x300.jpg",324,300,true],"td_696x0":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PR251124c.jpg",450,300,false],"td_1068x0":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PR251124c.jpg",450,300,false],"td_100x70":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PR251124c-100x70.jpg",100,70,true],"td_265x198":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PR251124c-265x198.jpg",265,198,true],"td_324x160":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PR251124c-324x160.jpg",324,160,true],"td_324x235":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PR251124c-324x235.jpg",324,235,true],"td_356x220":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PR251124c-356x220.jpg",356,220,true],"td_356x364":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PR251124c-356x300.jpg",356,300,true],"td_533x261":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PR251124c-450x261.jpg",450,261,true],"td_534x462":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PR251124c.jpg",450,300,false],"td_696x385":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PR251124c.jpg",450,300,false],"td_741x486":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PR251124c.jpg",450,300,false],"td_1068x580":["http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PR251124c.jpg",450,300,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Bernard Lynch","author_link":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/author\/bernardlynch\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Under the patronage of the President of Malta, Her Excellency Myriam Spiteri Debono, and in the presence of the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights Anton Refalo, the annual Imnarja exhibition was opened. The opening of the exhibition, which focuses on the Maltese goat, took place at Verdala Castle. During this event, a number&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49905"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49905\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49907,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49905\/revisions\/49907"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49906"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}