Farmers protesting the mass culling of livestock due to foot-and-mouth disease are expected to decide on further action in the coming days, after receiving no positive response to their request for a meeting with the President of the Republic.
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, farmers’ representative Stella Petrou said the group would convene shortly to determine the measures they will take, following what they interpret as a rejection of their request.
Petrou said statements from the Presidential Palace suggest that the possibility of a meeting has effectively been ruled out. She added that farmers remain firm in their position that the mass culling of animals, carried out as part of efforts to contain the spread of foot-and-mouth disease, should be suspended.
They are now awaiting a response to an alternative proposal they have submitted, which they requested be forwarded to the European Commission.
Concerns over EU stance and exports
Asked about the position of the Pancyprian Organisation of Cattle Farmers, its president Nikos Papakyriakou said alternative approaches had already been examined in the early days following the outbreak in February, but were rejected by the European Commission.
He stressed that the organisation does not wish to enter into conflict with the EU, warning that such a move could put exports at risk.
Papakyriakou added that the organisation is calling on the EU to assume responsibility for monitoring the use of €12 million in funds allocated to Turkish Cypriot farmers to tackle animal diseases, noting that EU protocols are not being implemented in areas outside the control of the Republic.
At the same time, he pointed to the responsibility of the Republic of Cyprus to strengthen controls along the Green Line.
No new cases reported
According to an update from the Veterinary Services on Monday morning, no new cases of foot-and-mouth disease have been recorded beyond the 104 outbreaks already confirmed.
The figure was previously announced by the Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Andreas Gregoriou, during a session of the House of Representatives on April 23.
Source: CNA