On December 12, farmers in Cyprus announced their intention to take to the streets in protest, joining the pan-European movement of farmers. The reason for discontent was the new philosophy of the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which farmers consider threatening the future of the agricultural sector.
Protests are planned for December 18
District Secretary of the Nicosia-Kerynia ESA trade union Thomas Thomas said Cypriot farmers intend to synchronize their actions with their European colleagues.
According to him, on December 18, farmers across Europe go out to protest, and on the same day similar actions are planned in Cyprus. The goal is to express disagreement with EU decisions and protect the primary sector of the economy.
Authorities and police have been notified of the impending action
Thomas Thomas said that the police have already been informed about the upcoming events. A special meeting should be held soon to discuss organizational issues and the format of the protest.
According to representatives of the agricultural sector, the new CAP architecture involves reallocation of funds, which negatively affects farmers' incomes. Protesters say they do not agree that some of the funds are being diverted to other EU priorities at the expense of agriculture.
Subsidies found to be insufficient
The chairman of the Pan-Cyprus Potato Producers' Organization, Andreas Karios, also criticized the government. He compared the level of support for farmers with a symbolic holiday payment of 20 euros to low-income pensioners, emphasizing that such amounts are not capable of saving the industry.
Karios called on the authorities to abandon formal measures and provide real, systemic support to the primary sector of the economy. According to him, without changes in approach, Cyprus risks losing its own agriculture in the long term.
Source: www.alphanews.live
