Police restored traffic flow at the Rizoelia roundabout shortly before 6 am on Friday after farmers who had blockaded the strategically important junction withdrew just after midnight without intervention from authorities.
The protest, which violated a decree on public gatherings issued to contain the spread of foot-and-mouth disease, followed the collapse of a four-hour meeting between farmers’ representatives and Agriculture Ministry Director General Andreas Grigoriou, held in the presence of Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou.
Talks broke down after officials made clear that the culling of infected animals could not stop, as halting the programme would automatically exclude Cyprus from the Single Market. According to sources, negotiations fell apart when one of the farmers’ representatives called the protest site and gave the order: “Shut everything down.”
Farmers had blocked the roundabout from around 11 am, parking lorries across the road and setting up tents. Hundreds of drivers were trapped for hours in the heat.
Among the scenes that drew attention was a father who crossed the roundabout on foot carrying his infant to escape the gridlock. When some drivers tried to push through, protesters brandished sticks and shouted that no one would pass.
The protest coincided with the arrival of European leaders for the EU summit, forcing police to use alternative routes for official motorcades to Ayia Napa. More than 100 officers were deployed at the scene. Despite attempts to open safety lanes, farmers refused to yield and threatened further escalation.
During the blockade, Justice Minister Costas Fytiris visited the site for security reasons. In what witnesses described as a symbolic gesture, a farmer couple approached him and offered to hand over their young child for him to raise — a protest against the impact of the mass culls on their livelihoods.
Among the stranded was ten-year-old Panagiotis, who was travelling with his family from Dali to Larnaca for his saxophone lesson. When it became clear he would miss the class, he took out his saxophone and began practising in the middle of the road.
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