The Government has a plan for full recovery in this difficult situation for animal husbandry, said the President of the Republic, Mr. Nikos Christodoulidis.
In his statements to journalists, attending a meeting with community authorities of the mountainous area of Limassol, in Pachna, on the subject of the Government’s announcements for the relief of those affected by last summer’s fire, and when asked to comment on the reactions of livestock farmers, who prevented the killing of their animals, the President of the Republic said “I am visiting Pachna to meet with the Presidents of the communities of all the areas affected by the unprecedented fire we had to deal with in July 2025.
And I am here to review the situation, to see all that we promised, how much has been implemented, what is in the implementation phase, to see any pending issues. As a State, we have invested an amount that reaches 60 million euros in total in relation to dealing with the challenges we had to face.
I say this because even in the present situation, the difficult situation, the critical situation we have to face with the livestock farmers, whose reactions I fully understand, as a Government we have a specific plan and planning from the immediate implementation of what we jointly decided yesterday for the good of our country, this is the only option we have in front of us from the implementation of the relevant protocols. Our decision to cover the loss of profitability resulting from the need to do what is foreseen by the protocols, our decision as a Government – I want to say it publicly, because it is a plan from the beginning to the end – to go with our farmers abroad to make up for any animal losses we have and to deal with the open wound – because it is an open wound – called the occupied territories.
Because we are ready to invest a very significant amount, I want – even though it is a challenge, a crisis, a difficult state of affairs that requires difficult decisions – I urge that we see it also as an opportunity to build, to set up better, our animal husbandry even better, which we want to strengthen even more, for example, where we should have livestock units, to look at the issue of the cease-fire line and the problems created with units that are within the British Bases and so on.
So, in cooperation with all the organized groups, with everyone who is affected we will do everything possible to regenerate and strengthen even more animal husbandry in our country.
I am here today, I referred to the amount of 60 million euros, I referred to our readiness to fully cover all those who are affected and we can do all this because we have a responsible financial policy that gives us the ability to face, above all others, these kinds of challenges.
And I am happy because in a difficult moment for our country, last night we had yet another positive evaluation from an international Evaluation House in a difficult moment, it is of particular importance that in the present moment we had this positive evaluation, and for all issues, whether it concerns the challenges, the problems created after the fires or it currently concerns our livestock farmers, what is required is responsibility and we will proceed with the same responsibility”.
When asked if we are ready so that we do not experience a similar tragedy with fires this summer, the President of the Republic said that “exactly in this direction we have taken specific decisions, which we announced last week and I will refer to more details in my intervention at the meeting, that is why we proceeded with civil protection, that is why we appointed a Coordinator, for this we have a plan, for which, I want to mention, the implementation of all these began in 2023 because there were problems, in cooperation with the French precisely to set up a mechanism that can cope to the best possible extent with such challenges”.