The statement by the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development, and the Environment, Christos Senekis, with the aim of granting an extension of at least one month to the deadline for conducting the sheep and goat population census, as requested by the Union of Sheep and Goat Producers’ Groups.
In a letter to the Minister of Agriculture, the Association notes that the timely completion of the census, which has a deadline of September 9, 2026, “is an eligibility criterion for interventions concerning the sheep and goat farming sector under the CAP Strategic Plan 2023–2027, as well as, potentially, for other measures or capital support schemes that may be announced during that year.”
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“For a number of livestock farms, in order to complete the census, the animals must first undergo genotyping by the Veterinary Services,” the Association states, noting, however, that “the large number of operations and animals that must be served, combined with the limited availability of staff at the Veterinary Services, makes it extremely difficult, and in many cases practically impossible, to complete the required process by the deadline.”
“For example, in the Limassol District alone, there are approximately 80 livestock farms housing about 14,000 animals that must undergo the required genotyping procedure, a fact that demonstrates the scale of the problem and the objective difficulty of completing it within the remaining timeframe,” the statement adds.
“Further delays arose due to the measures implemented for foot-and-mouth disease, as it was necessary to first conduct the relevant sampling at affected facilities and then proceed with the genotyping process,” states the Union of Sheep and Goat Producers’ Groups, emphasizing that “this further limited the available time, without the delay being attributable to the affected producers.”
The Association calls on the Minister of Agriculture to intervene immediately, in coordination with KOAP, the Veterinary Services, and the relevant departments of the Ministry, to grant an extension of at least one month to the deadline for conducting the sheep and goat population census. At the same time, it notes that it considers it necessary to examine the immediate reinforcement of the Veterinary Services with additional staff and/or the procurement of services from private veterinarians, in order to accelerate the genotyping process and serve all affected farms.
At the same time, it argues that “it would be particularly unfair for producers to lose the opportunity to participate in the upcoming interventions under the CAP Strategic Plan 2023–2027 or in other support measures and programs, due to the failure to complete a process in a timely manner—a process that is beyond their control.”
In conclusion, the Association requests the immediate intervention of the Minister of Agriculture, “so that a fair and workable solution can be found in a timely manner, which will ensure that no producer is excluded from the above Interventions and Schemes for reasons beyond their control.”
Source: CNA
