A dilemma for the rural affairs ministry: where to relocate 17 cow farms from inside historical forts?
James Debono Efforts to relocate 17 cow farms, presently located within historical forts or next to homes and schools, to a rural complex in an area known as Tal-Kabocci in Siggiewi have met a new obstacle: the land identified for the project is presently leased by the government to Buxom Chicken director Edward Borg, right up till 2015.
The proposed mega cow-farm had already been moved away from another site in Siggiewi, because it was deemed too close to the Dar tal-Providenza home for the disabled.
The site now chosen now lies 750 metres away from the nearest residents, but it’s right on the land leased to Borg.
Edward Borg is furious about the government’s plans, claiming the government is fully aware that he wants to develop the land leased to him into an equestrian centre, complete with race course, stables, an animal hospital, jacuzzis, as well as shops and restaurants.
Borg has already prepared a DVD and a leaflet advertising his project, and describes it as an “agro tourism attraction” that would attract Nordic tourists who would leave their horses in Malta during the cold winter months.
But the government still intends to relocate the dairy farms and terminate Borg’s lease. “By relocating the dairy farms the government is fulfilling its responsibility to safeguard the interest of this industry while protecting families who presently live next to cow farms,” a ministry spokesperson told MaltaToday.
Borg claims that former education minister Louis Galea and former tourism minister Francis Zammit Dimech had encouraged him to pursue his project when he presented them with plans for this “agro tourism project.”
Borg also claims that in a separate meeting the Prime Minister had promised him to ask someone from his office to assess his proposal.
Following these meetings, Borg started the process to apply for a MEPA permit. But in the meantime the government had submitted an application to relocate the cow farms and construct a manure plant on the same site. The Project Development Statement presented by the ministry describes Borg’s leased property as “an abandoned poultry farm used as a parking place for redundant containers and trucks.”
Edward Borg denies the claim, insisting that part of the site is used to rear chickens. He admits the site was “semi-abandoned” for some time but only because he faced financial difficulties because of “the government’s failure to protect the poultry industry after Malta joined the European Union.”
But the government insists that the existing poultry farm only constitutes a part of the extent of available land.
“The poultry farm can still be accommodated within government plans,” the ministry spokesperson told MaltaToday.
Borg, a vocal critic of environment minister George Pullicino, claims that he is being victimised for daring to criticise the government for not applying the “safeguard clause” on poultry imports in an interview published in MaltaToday back in December 2006.
Borg is incensed at being kept in the dark about this project, despite informing various government ministries of his plans for an agro-tourism project. He says he only learned of the government’s intention following reports on church newspaper Il-Gens, that the government had decided to relocate the project from a site 350 metres away from Dar tal-Providenza, to his poultry farm.
“Nobody had the decency to inform me of this decision. Despite my continuous requests for a meeting, I was completely ignored by minister George Pullicino. This is indecent and nasty,” Borg said.
In August 2007, Borg presented a judicial protest against Pullicino and the Director for Agriculture, holding them responsible for any damages and calling them to desist from pursuing the application to develop the cow farms on the land leased to him.
Asked whether the government intends to compensate Borg, the ministry spokesperson replied that the government will act according to the conditions of the lease.
The lease was originally issued on condition that the farm is used for agricultural purposes. Despite his intention to abandon poultry farming by converting the site into an equestrian centre, Borg insists he will still be respecting the conditions of the lease.
Moo-ve over Two squatters are among the 17 farmers set to be relocated from their existing cow farms to a new complex in Siggiewi: a move which will free historical fortifications and residential areas from the noise, smell and dirt caused by these farms.
In all, 17 dairy cattle farms will be developed to replace the existing farms situated within urban settlements and sites of historical importance in Malta.
The two squatters are presently occupying a stretch of land besides Bieb is-Sultan next to the Zabbar and the Birgu bastions, which currently host 94 cows.
Two other farmers who are to be relocated currently rear 106 cows in Fort San Anard in Zabbar. But unlike the two squatters, their position in the historical fort is legal despite the historical richness of the fort.
A third producer who will also be re-located had his farm at St Peter’s Fort/Battery. He was recently evicted by the lands department due to the Smart City project.
The other farms set to be relocated to Siggiewi are located in the middle of residential towns like Bormla, Fgura, Lija, Mosta, Msida and Zabbar.
One 80-cow farm lies immediately next to a school in Cospicua, while another currently hosting 47 cows lies next to another school in Santa Venera.
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