The visit of EU Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare Olivér Várhelyi to Cyprus today did not deliver the outcome the government had hoped for. Nicosia’s request for a derogation from EU regulations — to spare animals at infected units from mass culling — was turned down.
According to reports, the negative response was expected. Várhelyi first met with agricultural organisations and producer representatives at the ZENON coordination centre at Larnaca Airport, followed by talks with Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou.
PEK honorary president Michalis Lytras said the Commissioner simply reiterated that the regulation will be enforced without any relaxation. The European Commission appears to insist on strict application of Regulation 2020/687, even considering Cyprus’s geographic isolation and small production scale.
President Christodoulides’ intervention with Ursula von der Leyen does not seem capable of changing the situation. The Commissioner is expected to be received at the Presidential Palace, while disappointment among farming organisations runs deep.
