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It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to today's workshop on the native breed of cattle in Cyprus, co-organised with BirdLife Cyprus, with the support of the Cyprus Institute and the collaboration of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth.
First of all, let me thank the Cyprus Institute and its President Dr Stavros Malas for hosting today's workshop at the Institute's premises and for the valuable and enduring cooperation.
Today's workshop aims to bring together all of you, the stakeholders involved in the conservation and promotion of the native cattle breed in Cyprus, through programmes, research and funding. Dear partners and associates, fellow travellers in our common effort for the conservation and promotion of the indigenous cattle breed in Cyprus, thank you for your presence here today and for your meaningful participation. I am confident that the presentations of your actions and the discussion that will follow will help create synergies and help provide direction for future steps to achieve our common goals.
I also owe thanks to the students and cooking teachers of the Culinary Technical Schools of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth, under the Directorate of Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training, for the culinary experience they will offer us by tasting meat from local cattle breeds. Such collaborations clearly demonstrate that through joint efforts the goal of promoting and further acquainting the public with local products can be achieved.
The local breed of cattle is a breed of cattle that has been for hundreds of years as the main breed of ruminants on our island, but with the mechanization of agriculture its breeding has become unprofitable and its numbers have decreased dramatically. Based on this fact and with the aim of preserving the local breed in the habitats of the island, the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, since our accession to the European Union until today, has made efforts, mainly through the granting of financial aid, to increase the number of animals of the local breed kept by farmers.
The initial stabilisation and gradual increase in the population has been achieved largely due to the support received by livestock farmers through the Rural Development Programmes implemented and the support they now continue to receive through the Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan 2023-2027.
In particular, the conservation of the local breed was promoted through the implementation of the targeted measure "Agri-environmental obligations for conservation and sustainable use in traditional livestock breeds". Through the measure, per capita financial support is provided to farmers who in turn commit themselves to the conservation and rearing of the local breed of cattle in its natural environment.
It is estimated that to date 74% of farms rearing cattle of the traditional breed have been included in the measure, while in relation to the number of animals it is estimated that 85% of the local breed has been included. Since the implementation of the measure, the number of animals has increased by 85.5% and the number of farmers by 63%. A total of 65 farms are 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. We are optimistic that it will be the trigger for defining new frameworks and highlighting new possibilities regarding the future steps of the producers. The partnerships, the creation of strong links and synergies, and the promotion of, among other things, educational, information and research programmes, we are confident will contribute to further increase the number of animals of the local cattle breed. At the same time, we are convinced that informing the consumer public and representatives of the wider sectors of the economy, such as tourism and food, will have beneficial results for the further development and promotion of the local cattle breed.
We look forward with interest to the presentations of all stakeholders on the local breed and its benefits, but also on the problems and threats it faces, as well as on the new opportunities and perspectives that are opening up in this sector.
We look forward to the presentations of all stakeholders on the local breed and its benefits, but also on the problems and threats it faces, as well as on the new opportunities and perspectives that are opening up in this sector. In the discussion that will follow regarding ways to promote and create added value in the products of the local breed, we expect to be informed about ways and actions to promote and exploit the local breed under climate change conditions, such as genotyping, grazing and fire protection.
In this context, I would like to stress that maintaining and increasing the number of animals of the local cattle breed contributes to the protection and effective management of genetic material that is perfectly adapted to the specific conditions of the local environment and which is an integral part of the tradition and cultural landscape of the Cypriot countryside. At the same time, however, it contributes to the exploitation of the desirable genetic characteristics of the protected breeds for productive purposes as well as to the development of research and science.
In conclusion, I would like to thank all those who contributed to the organisation of this workshop, the officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth, the Cyprus Institute, BirdLife Cyprus, Terra Cypria, the Native Breeders Association and the Environmental Department of the British Bases, and wish them all success in the proceedings of today's workshop.
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Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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