The EU-Mercosur agreement was scrutinised on Wednesday at the House agriculture committee, focusing on the impact it will have on the rural economy, with minister Maria Panayiotou assuring that the deal would benefit Cypriot exports with a drop of 55 per cent in duties.

Panayiotou told MPs that the deal would furthermore promote authentic Cypriot products abroad, increasing added value and enhancing international recognition.

MPs and agricultural organisations expressed concern over the agreement, particularly regarding unfair competition.

Questions included whether the same control process was in place for products from Latin American countries concerning pesticides and if they would be cheaper than the Cypriot products.

“We have conveyed these concerns and we have requested that specific steps submitted by the European Commission be taken,” the agriculture minister said.

She added that Cyprus strongly supported ensuring resilience and European agriculture, the protection of producers from unfair competition and the need for all imported products to comply with European production standards.

Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides said the government had “no intention of risking the health of the people in any way”.

“This control is carried out at the import stage in relation to third countries and other countries from the EU,” according to an EU regulation, he said.

Charalambides said this would also apply for countries included in the Mercosur deal “without any discount or exception regarding the level of controls that will be carried out”.

The House agriculture committee will reconvene next week in the presence of the commerce minister, who had not managed to attend Wednesday’s meeting due to other obligations.