Wild asparagus harvesters in Cyprus have been prevented by UN peacekeepers from entering a buffer zone to collect the shoots, according to Reuters.
The island has been divided since the Turkish invasion of 1974, since when the UN has had a presence, controlling a security zone between the two sides.
However, asparagus harvesters have been nonplussed, not least since plentiful rains have ensured that the island has experienced a bumper harvest.
A UN spokesperson commented: “It is not something we particularly like to do but unfortunately if the asparagus is found in the buffer zone the peacekeepers have to do their job, which is to regulate access to that part of the territory.”
