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Cyprus

Two thirds of Cypriots willing to pay more for products with low carbon footprint 

Two thirds (68 per cent) of respondents in Cyprus are prepared to pay 10 per cent more for agricultural products that are produced in a way that limits their carbon footprint, a figure that puts the island above the EU27 average of 60 per cent. 

This was one of the findings of a Eurobarometer report on agriculture and the common agriculture policy (CAP) published by the European Commission on Tuesday. 

Conducted in February and March, it showed that nearly half of Europeans think that securing a stable supply of food in the EU at all times should be a main objective of CAP. 

In addition, more than half of respondents (55 per cent) think that the CAP should also contribute to ensuring reasonable food prices for consumers.  

Since 2020, this view has gained ground in 20 EU countries and was the most common reply in Greece (76 per cent), Cyprus (75 per cent), Bulgaria (62 per cent), Hungary (61 per cent), Czechia (58 per cent), Latvia (57 per cent), and Poland (52 per cent).  

When asked if the CAP contributes effectively to these two objectives – stable food supply and reasonable prices – 79 per cent and 65 per cent of Europeans think so respectively.  

For Cyprus, the corresponding figures were 88 per cent, stable compared to 2020, and 61 per cent – a significant drop of 14 percentage points compared to two years ago. 

Moreover, 72 per cent of respondents in Cyprus said CAP was ensuring a fair standard of living for farmers (EU average 62 per cent) and 63 per cent said it was creating growth and jobs in rural areas, again above the EU27 average of 58 per cent. 

The Eurobarometer also highlighted the public perception that climate change is now affecting agricultural activity more and more.  

Nearly seven out of ten respondents in Cyprus (69 per cent) said that agriculture has already made a major contribution to fighting climate change, above the EU average of 58 per cent. But a higher number (80 per cent) consider that EU farmers could still do more by changing the way they work, even if this means EU agriculture being less competitive globally. This is above the EU average of 67 per cent.  

Asked to give the three main risks to food security, respondents in Cyprus cited extreme weather events, economic downturns and poverty, and natural resource scarcity or degradation. 

As regards food purchase decisions, the overwhelming majority of respondents in Cyprus (96 per cent) said that that it was very (66 per cent) or fairly (30 per cent) important to have a specific label ensuring the quality of the product. 

Respecting local tradition and know-how also figured prominently – 61 per cent said it was very important and 36 per cent said it was fairly important. 

A product being part of a short supply chain was very important for 58 per cent of respondents on the island, and fairly important for 37 per cent. Finally, 56 per cent said it was very important they come from a geographical area they know and 35 per cent said it was fairly important. 

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