Head of the Voice of Livestock Breeders association Neophytos Neophytou said on Wednesday he would not be cowed after he reported on Tuesday night he was threatened by a man holding a pistol.
According to the police, Neophytou appeared at a police station at around 11.25pm to report he had been attacked by three people shortly beforehand on the Delikipos-Lythrodontas road.
“Three people riding two motorcycles stopped him and one of the suspects, after pointing a pistol at him, threatened him,” police said.
Meanwhile, the other two individuals caused damage to the front windshield of his vehicle.
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), Neophytou said that “he would not back down”, despite the incident.
“I shall be keener and more determined for the rights of the farmers. The aim was from the very beginning the law of animal husbandry and the preservation of the animal population of Cyprus. Not a step back,” he said.
Neophytou added that there were cameras in the area where the attack took place, emphasising that it was now up to the police to examine the CCTV footage and identify possible suspects.
“Surely the things that come to the surface [now are] because of The Voice of the Livestock Breeders annoy some. Now who is bothered the most and who the least is the job of the police,” he said, stressing that the group would under no circumstances deviate from its goals.
Voice of Livestock Breeders is an interest group of livestock breeders formed amid the outbreak of the foot and mouth disease (FMD).
The group had in the past repeatedly voiced its disapproval regarding the government’s measures to combat the disease, including the culling of thousands of animals, insisting on an “appropriate” financial compensation.
The group has held several demonstrations against government policy, including one that saw the busy Rizoelia roundabout close.
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