Philenews

Plan to Curb Livestock Pollution – Emissions Monitoring Program

Published February 18, 2026, 12:13
Plan to Curb Livestock Pollution – Emissions Monitoring Program

The Republic of Cyprus approves a €1.15 million program to monitor greenhouse gas emissions from livestock farming, aiming to modernize the sector and achieve a 32% reduction in emissions by 2030. The program builds on the success of a previous project by the Agricultural Research Institute (ARI), which led to significant cost savings through the emissions trading system. The need for the new program arises from the increase in emissions from agriculture by 17.3% since 1990, which now accounts for 6.6% of the country's total emissions. The previous ARI project resulted in a 70% reduction in the calculation of emissions from nitrogen fertilizers and annual savings of €4.8 million. The new program will focus on the climate footprint of animals and will conduct specialized analyses to determine the actual emissions of Cypriot livestock farming. The data will be used to design measures in the next Rural Development Strategic Plan. Five fixed-term employees will be hired for 24 months for the needs of the project. The Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Maria Panagiotou, stated that the program will contribute to the development of targeted policy measures to reduce emissions from the livestock sector and strengthen the scientific evidence base for the integration of sustainable practices.