The council of ministers has approved the payment of €2 million in emergency support for sheep and goat farmers.

The cabinet approved the payment of emergency financial support for 2024 to support the sheep and goat farmers, along with the per capita subsidy of €4 million.

The financial assistance aims to ease the effects of the increase in halloumi production costs and to improve the productivity of the sector.

“Our unwavering goal is to maintain halloumi as the main export product and to maintain the products with a protected designation of origin (PDO), which ensures the product’s potential,” Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou said.

The amount of aid per eligible female productive animal is determined based on the level of milk production, and starts at €8.5 per animal, and reaches up to €15 for the more productive animals.