Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Costas Kadis, who represented Cyprus, informed about the difficulties the country faces in terms of food and raw material supply due to its geographical location, with particular reference to the unfavourable situation of livestock farmers.
As noted in a statement by the Ministry of Agriculture, the views and suggestions expressed in the Council will be discussed by a special working group, which will finalise within the week the support measures for the agricultural sector that Member States can take.
According to the statement by the Ministry of Agriculture, during the meeting, Ukrainian Agriculture Minister Roman Leshchenko presented to his EU counterparts the situation in the country and the problems it faces in supplying food to the EU agriculture ministers pledged to provide all possible support in response to specific requests from the Ukrainian side.
In the context of the discussion on food security in the EU, Kadis said that rising production costs have a direct impact on the agriculture and livestock sectors, and stressed that there is a need to take concrete measures to support them.
Specifically regarding the case of Cyprus, he noted that "its geographical location and its island character create increased difficulties in the supply of food and raw materials" and referred to "the extremely unfavourable position of Cypriot livestock farmers, due to the increased prices of raw materials for animal feed".
Kadis added that the challenges "must be met in a spirit of solidarity between Member States" through a unified response to the negative consequences so that "the viability of any agricultural or livestock holding in any Member State is not jeopardised".[/B]
According to the communication, the Agriculture Minister stressed that "a Member State that is a producer of raw materials cannot accumulate several months of stocks and prevent the supply of another Member State that does not produce raw materials". He also recommended the temporary suspension of import duties imposed on raw materials for animal feed and cereals for human consumption originating from third countries, as a measure to facilitate their import at lower prices.
The Agriculture Minister also welcomed the measures proposed by the Commission to tackle the crisis, while noting that these should be additional measures.
"We are experiencing a crisis, and we consider it necessary to promote measures at least equivalent to those taken for the pandemic, both through the Rural Development Programme and through state aid," he noted.
Cyprus along with 11 other member states supported Spain's request for necessary measures to address the consequences of the significant increase in the cost of raw materials and fuel in the fisheries sector, including aquaculture.
Source: CNA
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source
