Nicosia police warn of traffic disruptions on Monday due to farmers’ protest

In view of the farmers’ protest in Nicosia on Monday, police have announced some road closures in the capital.

Around 10.30am tomorrow the demonstrators in their tractors will move along Spyros Kyprianou Avenue (from the area of ​​Jumbo Lakatameia, to the Orphanides traffic lights), where they will then join another batch of demonstrators and head down through Iosif Hadjiosif Avenue until they reach the intersection with Athalassa Avenue.

Afterwards, they will move along Athalassa Avenue, up to Strovolos Avenue and then follow the route to the presidential palace.

Then, from the traffic lights at the intersection of Demosthenes Severis and Grivas Dighenis avenues, they will pass in front of the ministry of finance, the Greek Embassy and end up on Byron Avenue in front of EU House.

During the gathering there, the avenue will be closed to traffic.

Drivers are urged to follow the instructions of the police.

The farmers plan to protest against the proposal to further limit the use of hazardous pesticides across the European Union, saying this will bring “huge environmental consequences”.

The demonstration is being organised by farmers’ associations Pek, Eka, Panagrotikos and Evroagrotikos farmers’ union and new farmers’ movement as well as cooperative growers marketing union Sedigep.

Protestors will also submit a memorandum at the presidential palace.

If the new amendments on the EU legislation on Plant Protection Products (PPPs) is passed as it stands, then “mathematically most of the agricultural land will be abandoned, with huge environmental consequences”, the farmers’ organisations said in a statement.

The proposal for a regulation on the sustainable use of plant protection products aims to reduce the impact of PPPs on both human and animal health as well as the environment.

It involves the EU-level reduction target for the use of the more hazardous pesticides to 80 per cent by 2030.