The price of meat in general has come down since Easter. From £5-£6 per kilo, it is now £4.50-£5, with wholesale prices hovering at £3.35. Some supermarkets are advertising lamb and goat at even lower prices.

“More people are now eating chicken and pork as they believe the meat to be a healthier option,” said Livadiotis.

Over the August holidays, 20,000-25,000 lambs and goats are expected to be slaughtered, along with 35,000 pigs at the island’s two abattoirs at Kofinou and CYPRA.

However, prices are expected to rise from September. “Corn will cost an extra 20 to 50 per cent by the end of the year, and this will be passed onto consumers,” Livadiotis stated.

He added that consumers have also been put off red meat after it emerged that several shipments from Greece bore fake stamps, meaning their origin could not be authenticated.

“The previous Easter, lambs from Greece had to be sent back after we discovered that their stamps of origin had been altered at slaughterhouses. The animals probably came from Bulgaria or Romania.”