Minister stresses importance of CAP for farmers
23/10/2024 6:51
Cyprus’ Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Maria Panayiotou, referred to the problems Cyprus faces from pests and plant diseases that are destructive to agricultural production, during a discussion at the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council held in Luxembourg, on Monday and Tuesday, according to a statement by the Ministry of Agriculture.
The Minister also referred to the measures taken by the Government to address the risks from the spread of zoonotic diseases from the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus as well as the risks to food security from soil degradation and desertification caused by climate change, it adds.
According to the announcement, the Council dealt with, among other things, the draft conclusions on the New Common Agricultural Policy after 2027, challenges to the EU food chain, the conference of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) to be held in Cyprus next month, and the fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea also for 2025.
The Ministers exchanged views on the EU's position at the ICCAT annual meeting, which will take place between November 11-18, in Limassol, it added. “Dr. Panayiotou stated that it is particularly important for Cyprus to jointly host the said international meeting with the Commission, since important decisions are expected to be made on the species of tuna and swordfish for the ICCAT member countries”, it said.
The Minister, it adds, noted that Cyprus supports the Commission's recommendation to maintain the existing management measures for longfin tuna in the Mediterranean, while opposing a possible redistribution of its quotas.
It also said that, despite two days of intensive negotiations, the text for the post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) focusing on farmers, “it was not possible to be adopted as a text of Council Conclusions due to disagreements”. It received, however, “significant support from a large number of Member States, which gives the text significant weight in terms of future decisions on the CAP after 2027”, it said.
“Dr. Panagiotou underlined that the draft conclusions demonstrate the importance of maintaining the CAP as a pillar of support for farmers with effective tools adapted to local specificities, capable of dealing with crises and ensuring the stability of the internal market in the EU”, it said.
She emphasised, it adds, the importance given to the environment, with particular reference to the critical issue of water for agriculture, an issue that was highlighted at the recent MED9 Ministers of Agriculture Conference in Cyprus.
Panayiotou also pointed out “that the text could to be improved with reference also to the challenges faced by small agricultural holdings in terms of innovation and application of new technologies. She also opposed possible reports that refer to the external convergence of direct aid”, it said.
The Minister, according to the statement, in her intervention during the debate on the challenges concerning the EU food chain, pointed out the special problems that Cyprus faces from pests and plant diseases that are destructive to agricultural production.
“The Minister further highlighted the importance of supporting the EU food chain and the competitiveness of farmers, by creating supply chains that support the sale of locally produced products”, it said, noting that, in this context, she noted that in Cyprus efforts are being made to better inform consumers and promote voluntary labelling standards for food products, improving the operation of the agri-food chain.
It is also noted that Cyprus co-signed the Portuguese document for the promotion of an integrated framework for managing and dealing with climate risks and crises in the EU.
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