Nicosia, Cyprus. Livestock farmers affected by animal culling linked to measures to contain foot-and-mouth disease demanded on Thursday a meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides to convey their grievances.
Request for presidential meeting
The decision to seek a face-to-face meeting with the president followed a meeting of groups representing livestock farmers and cheesemakers. Nikos Papakyriakou, head of the Cattle Breeders Association, said they would send a letter to President Nikos Christodoulides demanding an urgent meeting.
Objections to mass culling under EU rules
The farmers object to the mass culling of their herds under EU legislation. They argue an exception should be made for Cyprus due to local particularities.
Papakyriakou told media that implementing European regulations “to the letter” does not account for circumstances in Cyprus. He said it does not align with the layout of farming units in Cyprus and cited the political situation, including the occupied territories importing animal feed from Turkey.
Claims of unequal treatment and call for island-wide approach
Papakyriakou alleged double standards, saying that after EU inspections for foot-and-mouth disease in the north of the island, the European Commission did not order blanket slaughter of animals in affected units as applies in the south.
He said that instead, the north was provided with €12 million in funding for the elimination of animal diseases. He added that the issue should be addressed in the same way across the whole island.
What changes would you like to see in how foot-and-mouth disease measures are applied across Cyprus?
