Compensation remains outstanding for four livestock farms affected by foot-and-mouth disease in Cyprus, according to Kyriakos Kailas, president of the Panagrotikos Farmers’ Association, who has also raised concerns about delays in restarting farming operations.
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), Kailas warned that if the affected farms are not able to resume operations within 20 days, the association will demand that compensation for lost income begin immediately.
Four livestock farms still awaiting payment
Kailas said compensation has been paid to all other affected livestock farmers, but payments remain outstanding for four farms.
He stressed that the original decision was to compensate everyone affected by the disease, without exception.
“You cannot promise someone before their animals are culled that they will be compensated, and then find reasons, justified or otherwise, not to pay that amount,” he said.
He called for the outstanding payments to be made, adding that any suspected irregularities should be investigated separately.
Farmers demand action on restarting operations
Kailas said his greatest concern was the delay in allowing affected livestock farmers to resume their activities.
He explained that at a meeting two days earlier, he warned that if operations were not restarted within 20 days, Panagrotikos would demand the immediate payment of compensation for lost income.
“You cannot tell someone after seven or eight months that they cannot work and expect them to keep waiting,” he said.
While acknowledging the difficulties faced by the authorities, he stressed that farmers must be given the opportunity to return to work.
Concerns over €4.6 million agricultural support
Kailas also criticised the level of financial support available to the agricultural sector, referring to discussions held with officials two weeks earlier.
He said the €4.6 million in funding from European sources could have been increased by 200%, but this had not happened because of a differing position taken by the Finance Minister.
According to Kailas, increasing the funding would have allowed more substantial assistance to be provided and enabled sectors currently excluded from the support measures to benefit.
He acknowledged that the measures introduced were a step in the right direction but argued that the amounts should have been higher.
“We see the primary sector declining day by day,” he said.
Disagreement over agricultural fuel subsidy
The Panagrotikos president also raised concerns about the agricultural diesel support scheme, particularly a provision that caps subsidies at €5,000 for certain producers.
He said the association disagreed with the restriction and the timing of the scheme’s closure.
Kailas pointed out that farmers are currently entering the sowing and cultivation season, when fuel purchases are particularly important.
“How is it possible to close it at the end of October?” he asked.
He said the association had proposed to the Ministry that the scheme remain open until December, allowing farmers to benefit from the support during the main planting period.
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