-
.
- Ελληνικά
A workshop dedicated to the local cattle breed, co-organised by the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment and BirdLife Cyprus, with the support of the Cyprus Institute, and the cooperation of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth, was held today at the Cyprus Institute with great success.
Welcoming the workshop, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Dr Maria Panayiotou said that the aim of the workshop is to bring together all stakeholders involved in the conservation and promotion of the indigenous cattle breed in Cyprus through programmes, research and funding.
"The conservation of the native breed was promoted through the implementation of the targeted measure 'Agri-environmental obligations for conservation and sustainable use in traditional livestock breeds'. Through this measure, per capita financial support is provided to farmers, who in turn are committed to the conservation and rearing of the local breed of cattle in its natural environment," he pointed out, adding that to date 74% of farms rearing cattle of the traditional breed have been included in the measure, while in terms of the number of animals, it is estimated that 85% of the local breed has been included. He added that since the implementation of the measure, the number of animals has increased by 85.5% and the number of farmers by 63%, while a total of 65 farms have been subsidised.
"Today's conference, which is part of the events organised by our Ministry on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy in Cyprus, is a continuation of the effort that started with the implementation of the above-mentioned measure, as well as other synergies, contacts and collaborations with all stakeholders," the Minister stressed.
Finally, Dr Panagiotou thanked the students and teachers of the Culinary Technical Schools of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth for the culinary experience of tasting meat of local breed of cattle that they offered to the participants.
For his part, the President of the Cyprus Institute, Dr. Stavros Malas, said that Cyprus' agriculture will be severely affected by climate change. However, he noted, nature has learned to adapt to climate change and the local cattle breed is a classic example. "The Cyprus Institute is involved in many research areas and one of them is its work on climate change. Undoubtedly, without science a country does not move forward," he said and stressed "that the agriculture and livestock sector is the most important sector of the economy. If an organized state does not learn to produce to eat, it cannot survive the difficult times."
On behalf of the Directorate of Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth, Mr. Michael Tsiarlistos, who explained that this tribe is not only a symbol of the rural life of Cyprus, but also composes and represents the cultural heritage of our country.
"Through the findings of various studies, it is clear that this valuable breed can be highlighted through education and gastronomy, opening new paths for economic development and promotion of our local production" he said and added that the aim should be to promote Cypriot beef, to raise awareness and interest among consumers, but also to attract gastronomic tourism.
The conference included presentations by the Association of Local Cattle Breeders, the Management Authority of the Strategic CAP Plan, the Department of Agriculture, the Cyprus University of Technology, the Cyprus Institute of Technology, BirdLife Cyprus, the Institute of Agricultural Research, the British Bases Environmental Department and the Directorate of Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training.
Subsequently, the participants had the opportunity for a unique tasting of meat from the local breed of cattle, provided by the Technical Culinary Schools of the Ministry of Education. The workshop concluded with a round table discussion, in which issues such as ways to promote and create added value in the products of the local breed, as well as ways and actions to promote and use the cow in climate change conditions such as genotype, grazing and fire protection were raised.
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
