Cyprus forced to export cattle to avoid EU quota sanctions

CYPRUS is being forced to export cattle to Lebanon to avoid breaching new EU milk quotas.

Cyprus has been given a quota of 141 million litres of milk a year, with significant sanctions should the figure be exceeded. As are result, some 400 cattle were exported to Lebanon last Friday for slaughter and more animals are to follow in the near future.

Scientists had predicted that the quota would be exceeded by six million litres unless the cattle were exported.

The Director of the Pancyprian Cattle Organisation, Nicos Papakyriacou, told reporters that Lebanon “was chosen because of the Lebanese love for Cypriot beef. We have requested from the Lebanese authorities a certificate for every animal slaughtered so that no animal could be used for milk or halloumi production. However, we believe that those regulations are being followed faithfully by the Lebanese.”

But Papakyriacou pointed out that the quota given to the organisation had created a problem due to a specific ruling in the regulation. According to the EU, two million litres in the quota are to be reserved and handed to small milk producing companies but that amount is disproportionate, according to Papakyriacou.

“We are currently trying to negotiate with the EU on that matter and hope to have that ruling overturned so as to hand that reserve amount to larger milk producing companies instead.”

Meanwhile, both the Veterinary Services and the Pancyprian Cattle Organisation yesterday categorically dismissed claims from Turkish Cypriot newspaper Ortam that Greek Cypriot farmers and civil servants were smuggling around 1,000 cattle across the Green Line in order to have them exported illegally to Turkey.

A representative of the Veterinary Services said the accusation was not only false but impossible, seeing each animal had to be accounted for and recorded before it was moved within the agricultural sector.

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