CAP ‘pillar of support’ for farmers, further policy not adopted, minister says
After two days of intensive negotiations, the text for the post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) focusing on farmers was not adopted due to disagreements, with Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou referring to the importance of maintaining CAP as a pillar of support for farmers.
The text received support from a large number of member states, which gives it significant weight in terms of future decisions on CAP after 2027, a press release by the ministry following talks at the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council held in Luxembourg said.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Cyprus co-signed the Portuguese document for the promotion of an integrated framework for managing and dealing with climate risks and crises in the EU.
Speaking during the meeting, Panayiotou referred to the problems Cyprus faces from pests and plant diseases that are destructive to agricultural production.
She also referred to the measures taken by the government to address the risks from the spread of zoonotic diseases from the north, as well as the risks to food security from soil degradation and desertification caused by climate change.
The Council members discussed the draft conclusions on the New Common Agricultural Policy after 2027, challenges to the EU food chain, the conference of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) to be held in Cyprus next month and the fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2025.
They exchanged views on the EU’s position at the ICCAT annual meeting, which will take place between November 11-18, in Limassol.
Panayiotou said it was important for Cyprus to jointly host the meeting with the Commission, since important decisions are expected to be made on the species of tuna and swordfish for ICCAT member countries.
She said Cyprus supports the Commission’s recommendation to maintain the existing management measures for longfin tuna in the Mediterranean, while opposing a possible redistribution of its quotas.