For the last two weeks 1500 overweight live pigs have gone from Cyprus to Greece – overgrown planned slaughter dates. This is due to the crisis situation at the slaughterhouse in Cyprus, reports Philenews.

Cyprus pig breeders are experiencing hard times due to problems with the services of slaughterhouses – hit by coronavirus, which led to a shortage of staff. In addition, the demand for pork in general has decreased due to restrictions in the catering facilities. Now, farmers have to not only sell animals below cost, but also export overgrown cattle to Greece, where the prices for live pigs are 30-50% lower than in Cyprus.

The head of the Cyprus Pig Breeders Association Petros Kailos said that the industry is going through the worst period in its history because of the huge problems caused by the pandemic. The Cabinet decided to allocate 250 thousand euros to help pig breeders. It will take the form of a lump sum payment, the maximum amount per beneficiary is 7000 euros.