Farmers Angered by 7-Year Retroactive Environmental Fees

The decision by the Department of Water Development to demand environmental and resource fees for the past 7 years from farmers and agricultural companies has sparked outrage. The decision to impose the fee was made in 2017, implemented in 2020, and now the Department is retroactively demanding the outstanding amounts.

Agricultural organizations have strongly reacted to the imposition of the environmental fee, calling for an immediate postponement. Thomas Thoma, Provincial Secretary of EKA Nicosia – Kyrenia, stated that farmers received bills ranging from €12,000 to €110,000.

Tasos Giapanis, General Secretary of Panagrotikos, criticized the executive branch for imposing the fee without consultation, especially after years of drought and the pandemic.

Members of Parliament also expressed reactions to the delayed delivery of invoices and the management of water resources. Giannakis Gavriil questioned whether those in charge are in touch with the reality faced by farmers, while Chatzigiannis deemed it unacceptable to impose fees on farmers who have been affected.

The Ministry of Agriculture will meet with agricultural organizations on Friday to discuss facilitating the payment of debts. Grigoriou mentioned that farmers can pay for the actual amount of water they drew, provided they have a meter.

Furthermore, reactions were provoked by the provision of water to golf courses, with Andreas Pasiourtidis criticizing the ministry's philosophy. The Ministry assured that the water supply to golf courses has been reduced and will be completely cut off.