Government of Republic of Cyprus : Statement by the Minister of Agriculture on the deliberations of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council

23/01/2017 18:48
Statement by the Minister of Agriculture on the deliberations of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council
The Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Mr Nicos Kouyialis, who is currently in Brussels to participate in the deliberations of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council, made the following statement:

'Today, the discussion in the Council focused on two main issues. The first one concerns the situation in international markets, on which we have indicated to the European Commission that the trade agreements signed with third countries do not ensure effectively the interests of the small states. We have indicated that in these agreements, all geographical indications should be acknowledged and we asked the Commission to speed up the registration of halloumi, which is in its final stage, because we want it to be included in the upcoming agreements, such as the one to be signed with Japan.

The second issue we discussed is the situation in the EU agricultural sector. We have indicated to the Commission that it should support with measures the sector of goat and sheep milk. The Commissioner pledged to present a new package of measures soon and we welcome his statement. At the same time, we called upon the Commission to monitor the situation created by the Russian embargo, which still continues. The Commission should monitor the prices, in order to be ready to support promptly and effectively the farmers and the European market'.

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