On Thursday morning, large numbers of livestock farmers gathered in the SOPAZ area of Aradippou, sending a clear message to the competent state services that they will not consent to the killing of healthy animals. They briefly blocked the Aradippou-Athienou road and warned of escalatory measures.
The situation at SOPAZ was tense as farmers assembled to halt planned culls by the Veterinary Services. Protesters said that despite earlier assurances that such culls would stop, they were informed late on Tuesday night, that the following morning veterinary teams would proceed with the slaughter of 600 animals at a unit in Aradippou – even though only four cases of foot‑and‑mouth disease had been detected there, according to the farmer concerned. Producers called this practice unacceptable, arguing that a professional cannot be notified late at night that their animals will be killed the next day.
“Moves like this undermine farmers’ trust in the state – especially after we were previously assured that the culls would cease,” they said.
Protesting farmers demanded assurances from the President of the Republic that the mass killing of healthy, non‑infected animals will end. They are also awaiting a response from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, to whom President Nikos Christodoulides has conveyed the farmers’ request to stop the mass culling of animals not suffering from foot‑and‑mouth disease.
“They have lost all credibility. We are withdrawing our confidence in the Veterinary Services and the Minister of Agriculture,” the angered farmers declared.
‘A shambles’
Chair of the House Agriculture Committee Yiannakis Gavriel and other MPs were present at the protest. Gavriel described the handling of the foot‑and‑mouth issue as “a shambles.”
“Just consider, last Sunday the President said there would be no culls; yesterday the Agriculture Minister said only animals with pronounced symptoms would be culled; yet last night a farmer was told all his animals would be slaughtered. With whose authorization are they proceeding, when the President and Minister told us otherwise at the House Agriculture Committee?” he asked.
Gavriel called on Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou to assume responsibility and clarify her position. “You cannot play with the producers’ state of mind and punish them in this way,” he added.
At a recent mass gathering in Choirokoitia, affected farmers issued a Thursday, March 12, ultimatum to the government to satisfy three core demands:
- End culls of asymptomatic animals;
- Vaccinate all livestock;
- Pay immediate compensation to impacted producers.
Farmers agreed to reconvene to decide next steps.
In a response to the farmers, the Veterinary Services said the scheduled culls concern a livestock dealer’s unit, which is currently the only confirmed case in the area. Immediate implementation of prescribed measures is required, they added, because any delay increases the risk of spread.