Nicosia, Cyprus. The government on Wednesday approved €1.65 million in funding for pig farmers whose animals were culled in response to a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak earlier this year. Farmers will receive €50 per culled pig, capped at €250,000 per farm.
Compensation terms
Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou said supporting livestock farmers had been a government priority since the initial outbreak. She said the €50 payment per pig was agreed in collaboration with the pig farmers’ association.
Unlike previous compensation allocations for livestock affected by the disease, the payment for pigs does not exceed the European Union’s maximum value eligible for co-financing.
EU co-financing limits
The EU’s maximum eligible value for pigs is €125 per animal, allowing the government to receive up to €37.50 per culled pig through EU financing, which covers 30 per cent of compensation payments up to the maximum value.
In May, the government announced compensation ranging from €43 to €178 for regular sheep and goats, and from €47 to €420 for animals deemed to have high genetic value. Payments for culled cattle were set between €150 and €1,500 for regular cows and up to €2,500 for exceptional cattle.
The EU maximum values are €1,000 per cow and €140 per sheep.
Further support
Panayiotou said last month that she expected compensation rates to increase further, although this has not occurred. She said it was tragic for farmers to lose livestock that represented the work of a lifetime and pledged substantial support for livestock farmers.
