Agricultural policy updates in Greece and Cyprus

In Greece, former Deputy Minister of Rural Development Christos Kellas met with Vice President Kostis Hatzidakis to discuss urgent issues facing the primary sector. Key concerns include the need for an extension regarding rights transfers due to delays in OSDE declarations. Kellas highlighted technical difficulties in identifying agricultural plots where land registry discrepancies exceed 5%, affecting 70% of cases. He also addressed monitoring issues for 2025 crops and requested the ability to correct formal errors in subsidy applications, specifically regarding goat and sheep milk production.

In Cyprus, Agriculture Minister Christos Senekis has submitted a revised proposal for the allocation of water resources for irrigation to the Cabinet. The proposal responds to current hydrological conditions and planned infrastructure projects. To address water scarcity, the government plans to complete three desalination units by 2031. Senekis emphasized that water availability is critical for the sector's development and for attracting younger professionals to farming, noting that the average age of farmers is currently 63 years.