Turkish Cypriot butchers protest over meat price disparity

The Turkish Cypriot Butchers' Association and the KTEZO chamber of shopkeepers held a protest outside the 'Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources' in the occupied territories. They expressed strong dissatisfaction regarding high local meat prices, which have led many Turkish Cypriot consumers to purchase meat in the Republic of Cyprus. KTEZO coordinator Hurem Tulga characterized this as a broader social issue and alleged that the government is ignoring the 'smuggling' of meat. Rasit Senkaya, head of the Butchers' Association, accused the administration of inactivity and failure to support the local economy. In response, 'Agriculture Minister' Huseyin Cavus denied claims of animal shortages and criticized the wide price discrepancies, citing instances where ground meat is sold at both 600 TL and 900 TL. He proposed a dialogue on forming cooperatives to stabilize prices. The event concluded with a brief verbal altercation between the minister and the protesters.