The 5th March Agri Committee outcomes

Among the topics at the agenda of last week’s Agri Committee Meeting, which took place at the European Parliament, two main points of discussion raised our attention when it comes to Maltese agriculture.

The first point was related to amending the Regulation (EU) 2018/848 with the following question: Should we allow Third Countries’ products, which respect our production rules, to be labelled with the EU organic label? A first element of reply would be to ask ourselves how we could guarantee that these products are really produced under the same rules. A second element would be to ensure the competitiveness of our organic sector.

The Maltese organic sector plays a crucial role for the biodiversity of the island but is quasi nonexistent precisely because of its lack of competitiveness among other structural problems. More than awareness and financial incentives, a real market must be secured for organic products in Malta.

The second point was on the European Court of Auditors’ opinion 05/2026 discussing the complexity of the implementation of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) structure proposed by the European Commission. On top of having the new CAP budget decreased, such a structure could create a lot of uncertainties and distortion between farmers from different Member States.  

Malta’s situation requires particular attention due to its size and its geographical position which forces it to be more vulnerable to crises and market fluctuations. Young and small farmers must be supported to ensure food independence and the sovereignty of the island as well as its territorial cohesion.

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