Consultations between the government and farmer representatives have been suspended after livestock farmers blocked the Rizoelia roundabout and Larnaca port on Thursday, as protests over the mass culling of animals during the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak intensified.
Tensions flared at the roundabout when Justice Minister Costas Fytiris arrived at the scene and asked farmers to reopen a lane for safety reasons. Farmers responded by fully closing the upper section of the roundabout and blocking Larnaca port for a period, trapping drivers in the process.
According to information received, Fytiris then informed Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou of the situation and a decision was taken to suspend ongoing consultations with farmer representatives.
Following that development, farmers agreed to let trapped drivers through, including those heading to Larnaca airport. However, they issued a one-hour ultimatum on the consultations. If their demands are not met within that time, they warned, they will extend their action beyond Rizoelia and move to Larnaca airport.
Earlier in the day, Panayiotou had invited a three-member farmers’ delegation to the ministry for consultations. Farmers had briefly reopened one lane as a goodwill gesture before closing the junction again around 4 pm, saying they had received no update on the talks.
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