The European Commission has prohibited the import of fish from Famagusta on the Turkish-occupied side of Cyprus after finding that untreated human waste was being dumped into the sea there.
That was detected by an investigation of European Union analysts, said The Cyprus Mail, which led to 30 fishing vessels docked in the port banned from selling fish in the bloc.
A Green Line Regulation – referring to the division between the Greek-Cypriot side and the occupied territory that takes up the northern third of the island – was put into force in 2004 when Cyprus joined the EU, apart from the Turkish-Cypriot side.
The regulation set out rules under which people, goods and services can cross the Green Line and some foods, including fish, are allowed to be traded across the Green Line to the Greek-Cypriot community.
EU inspectors carry out regular checks to make sure the products meet standards for safety and other criteria and found that in this case the fish were in areas where untreated wastewater was poured into the sea, polluting the waters.