The Christodoulides government is complicit in the disastrous MERCOSUR agreement

Statement by Yiannakis Gavriel, AKEL MP and Chair of the Parliamentary Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee

Farmers and consumers are paying the price

12 January 2026, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

The proposed trade agreement between the European Union and MERCOSUR countries poses a serious threat to the sustainability of European and, in particular, Cypriot agriculture and livestock farming, as well as a danger to consumer food security .

The mass importation of agricultural and livestock products from MERCOSUR countries, with lower standards of production, control, and environmental protection than those applicable to European farmers, puts Cypriot farmers at a disadvantage, undermines their income, and creates conditions of unfair competition.

The proposed agreement also raises serious issues with regards food safety, public health protection, and environmental sustainability. For example, most pesticides and antibiotics used in MERCOSUR countries have been banned in the EU for decades as dangerous.

It is no coincidence that there are mass protests by farmers against the agreement across Europe.

Serious questions are raised by the positive stance taken by the government of Nicos Christodoulides in favor of the agreement, ignoring the already serious sustainability problems of Cypriot farmers due to increased production costs and water shortages.

Instead of actively defending the interests of Cypriot farmers, the government has chosen to support an agreement that serves the interests of giant multinational companies.

On the initiative of AKEL, the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture will meet in an extraordinary session next Wednesday, at which the relevant Ministers will be invited to inform and explain on the basis of which studies the government decided to support this agreement.