The livestock sector in the northern part of Cyprus plays an important role
in the country's economy, providing employment opportunities for local people
and contributing to the agricultural sector's GDP. Agriculture and livestock
farming are among the main economic activities, with the sector including animal
husbandry, milk production, meat production, and poultry production. Livestock
farming is mainly practiced in rural areas, and the sector provides employment
opportunities for farmers, herders, and other agricultural workers. The
agriculture sector is an important driver for the Turkish Cypriot economy; the
sector has significant linkages to other economic sectors, such as food
processing and tourism. Manufacturing, which includes agri-food processing,
produces predominantly dairy products and therefore relies heavily on domestic
milk production.
However, despite its potential for growth and development, there are several
challenges facing the livestock sector in the northern part of Cyprus. The
primary challenges are limited resources such as water for irrigation, high
costs of imported animal feed, lack of infrastructure and proper animal
shelters, and high mortality rate of the new-born animals. Additionally, low
levels of rainfall, high temperatures and increasing periods of drought put
enormous pressure on the sector’s performance. In
addition, there is a need for a more robust regulatory environment to ensure
animal welfare, quality control, and food safety standards. This will require
investment in regulatory institutions, inspection systems, and infrastructure
to improve the sector's competitiveness in the global market. The European
Union's involvement in animal health programmes in the northern part of Cyprus
is part of a broader effort to counter such challenges, thereby improving the
overall health and welfare of animals and promoting sustainable agriculture in
the region.
On 12 April 2021, Commission Implementing
Regulation (EU) 2021/591 (4) entered a name in the register of protected
designations of origin and protected geographical indications in respect of
‘Χαλλούμι’ (Halloumi)/‘Hellim’ (PDO). This protected designation of origin
covers the whole island of Cyprus including the northern part of Cyprus.
Pending the reunification of Cyprus, the prohibition under Article 4(9) of
Regulation (EC) No 866/2004 for the animal products is lifted for the product,
allowing the movement of the Halloumi/‘Hellim’ across the green line based on
the fulfilment of certain conditions. The first and the most important of
these conditions that should be fulfilled is that the animal health status in
the northern part of Cyprus has to be established favourably according to
internationally agreed standards of the World Organisation for Animal Health
(OIE) for all the diseases potentially transmissible through trade in the
product. According to Annex III of (EU) 2021/586, there is a requirement on
the status of bovine tuberculosis, bovine brucellosis and ovine and caprine
brucellosis.
So far, significant support has
been provided under the Aid Programme in the area of animal health, in the form
of services and supplies, as well as through the TAIEX instrument in aligning
the local legal texts with the EU standards. From 2006 to 2019, a total
of €555 million has been allocated under the Aid Regulation from which more
than €15 million has been assigned to increase the performance of the
livestock sector, especially in animal husbandry and animal health. In
addition to the grants given to livestock farmers (especially milk and dairy
products producers), veterinary ‘services’ were also provided for the purpose
of controlling and eventually eradicating infectious animal diseases and
zoonotic diseases.
This contract aims to contribute to the promotion
of the rural and economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community and the
favourable animal health status of the area. The specific objective is to contribute
to:
Further reduction of the prevalence of
brucellosis in the northern part of Cyprus,Further improvement of TCc veterinary ‘services’
capacity to implement intradermal tuberculin test(s) according to EU
requirements; andImproved confidence in the reliability of data
on the status of bovine tuberculosis, enzootic bovine leucosis (EBL) and exotic
diseases (Food and Mouth Disease (FMD), Sheep and goat pox (SGP), Peste des petits
ruminants (PPR), Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD)) in the northern part of Cyprus.