New regulations intended to reduce idle agricultural land may change after the hunters’ lobby announced an agreement between them and the agriculture minister.
Just a few days ago, government announced new regulations aimed at ensuring agricultural land is used for productive farming while holding absentee landowners accountable for maintenance and registration.
To discourage land abandonment and preserve soil viability, the regulations stipulate that every plot must be cultivated at least once per agricultural year.
The regulations caught farmers and agricultural organisations by surprise, noting that agricultural land for recreational purposes has “become so accepted in Malta that legislating towards the preservation of our food-producing land is being interpreted as intrusive.”
Nonetheless, the organisations made up of people who till the land welcomed the regulations.
On Friday, Federazzjoni Kaċċaturi Nassaba Konservazzjonisti (FKNK) announced that it held a meeting with Agricultural Minister Anton Refalo.
“The FKNK would like to thank the minister who, during the meeting, listened to and understood the concerns of the FKNK, and ultimately, the parties reached an agreement to the satisfaction of the stakeholders involved,” the hunting lobby said.
The lobby stated that its concerns, “will be addressed by the yinistry through appropriate and fair amendments before these regulations come into effect on 24 September 2025.”