Talks between Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou and a delegation of protesting livestock farmers ended without agreement on Thursday, as farmers continued road closures at the Rizoelia roundabout in Larnaca.
The meeting lasted four hours at the ministry’s offices in Nicosia. Outside, dozens of farmers waited at Rizoelia, intermittently closing and reopening roads as pressure mounted on the government.
The three-member delegation was not persuaded by Panayiotou and government officials that their demand to stop blanket animal culls could be met. Officials stressed that the killings were a legal obligation under European regulations, warning that failure to comply could risk Cyprus being excluded from the single market, with serious consequences.
“We explained to the livestock farmers how compensation is calculated and paid, as payments began last March,” Agriculture Ministry Director-General Andreas Gregoriou said after the meeting.
He said the ministry had called for dialogue, cooperation and strict adherence to the measures, describing this as the only way to prevent the spread of the virus and save Cyprus’ livestock sector.
Gregoriou added that compensation and support measures remained on the table, but said the implementation of protocols and cooperation were essential for the long-term protection of the sector.
After the meeting, protesting farmer Stella Petrou said the delegation had informed farmers at Rizoelia that their demand to stop animal culls had not been accepted.
“Unfortunately, there will be an escalation of measures,” she said.
According to Petrou, the minister asked that the protest at Rizoelia be called off, while the farmers’ main demand remained an end to the culls.
Farmers’ groups criticise protests
Earlier in the day, farming organisations took a firm stance against the protesting livestock farmers during a session at the House Agriculture Committee.
Panikos Hambas, general secretary of EKA, said the farming movement was acting responsibly by choosing dialogue in Parliament rather than taking to the streets.
Michalis Lytras, honorary president of PEK, described the gathering at Rizoelia as irresponsible and claimed some were exploiting the pain of livestock farmers for electoral purposes.
Tasos Giapanis, general secretary of Panagrotikos, said the issue was critical and called for evidence-based decisions rather than blind reactions.
Lambros Achilleos, president of Euroagrotikos, said “200 livestock farmers cannot be allowed to infect the whole of Cyprus”.
Ministry admits outbreak remains uncontrolled
The House Agriculture Committee also examined the failure to contain foot-and-mouth disease, two months after the first case was detected.
So far, infected units have reached 104, animal culls stand at 57,000, and infected zones have expanded to three areas, stretching from Larnaca to western Nicosia.
“This crisis is indeed unprecedented for Cyprus, and the ministry shares the concerns, as the virus has not yet completed its cycle,” Gregoriou told MPs.
He said the situation was extremely difficult and described the virus as an “invisible enemy”. He urged all parties to follow protocols in order to protect the country’s livestock.
Gregoriou acknowledged that new cases had been increasing in recent days, attributing the trend to intensified sampling in infected zones.
Asked whether the government had sought EU pressure on the occupied areas to comply with European legislation, he said representations had been made to the European Commission by both President Nikos Christodoulides and the agriculture minister.
He also said advance payments for loss of income had been made to 21 of 31 eligible farmers. The payments amount to €21 per sheep or goat and are expected to be completed in the coming days.
Gregoriou said compensation could be paid within 90 days and that the ministry intended to compensate farmers based on the market value of the animals.
Illegal animal transport reported
During the committee discussion, ELAM MP Linos Papagiannis raised the issue of illegal animal transport in Palaiometocho.
He said permission had allegedly been given two weeks ago for animals to be taken to slaughterhouses, but the vehicle carrying them ended up in Palaiometocho instead.
Papagiannis asked who had authorised the killing of the animals and what measures were in place to prevent the virus from spreading. He also questioned the reliability of European assessments, arguing that no substantial measures were being implemented in the occupied areas.
Veterinary Services Director Christodoulos Pipis replied that no permit had been issued for the animals to be moved to a slaughterhouse and said administrative fines had been imposed.
He added that the case had been reported to the police for investigation. Pipis also said other illegal activities by livestock farmers had been identified during the animal culling process.