“Strict decisions must be taken”, “we cannot look back to the way things were”, and “Cyprus's livestock sector has been socially stigmatised and developed in a very haphazard manner”. These were among the emphatic remarks made by Dr Stavros Malas during the presentation of the 12-year recovery and restructuring programme for Cyprus's livestock sector to industry stakeholders and interested parties, who were invited to the Presidential Palace for a briefing.
Giving an indication of how the government intends to approach the findings of the scientific committee on the restructuring of livestock farming, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Christos Senekis spoke of presenting and discussing the proposals with the stakeholders directly involved. “Because scientific evidence gains greater value when accompanied by meaningful dialogue with the people who know first-hand the needs and realities of the sector,” he stressed at yesterday's briefing event.
Systemic risk
Presenting figures showing the high geographical concentration of 72 dairy cattle farms, which produced 60% of cow's milk in 2025 – with one farm already lost to foot-and-mouth disease – Dr Malas warned of a systemic risk of infectious diseases spreading through the remaining livestock population. The same, he stressed, applies to sheep and goats, with 27 farms concentrated in the same areas accounting for 20% of milk production in 2025 – four farms have already been lost to foot-and-mouth disease.
Given that the density of livestock farms facilitates rapid transmission in the event of another epizootic outbreak, such as foot-and-mouth disease, putting the entire milk production system at risk, he stressed that decongestion, biosecurity and spatial reorganisation are required.
Seven epidemiological zones
With regard to the foot-and-mouth disease crisis, the figures presented by Dr Malas illustrate both the scale of the damage and the systemic gaps. A total of 121 livestock holdings were affected, resulting in the slaughter of 84,133 animals. Specifically, 104 sheep and goat farms were affected, involving 56,632 animals; 14 cattle farms, involving 3,018 animals; and three pig farms, involving 24,483 animals.
Of the 121 affected farms, 102 were concentrated in just seven high-density livestock farming areas which, according to Dr Malas, effectively operated as seven interconnected epidemiological hotspots.
The loss of milk production from the affected farms reached 16.23 million litres in 2025, equivalent to 4.06% of total milk collections. The impact was proportionally far greater on sheep and goat farming, where 8.97% of production was lost, compared with 2.72% in cattle farming.
€30m emergency spending
As an immediate step towards restarting the sector, the committee is proposing a €30m emergency intervention package, comprising:
- The creation of 10 calf-fattening units (€10m).
- The creation of 10 lamb and kid-fattening units (€10m).
- Measures to relocate affected farms to safe areas or provide a dignified exit from the profession for those who do not meet the criteria for remaining in the sector (€10m).
The committee's approach is based on a transition from a model focused primarily on the number of animals to one that places greater emphasis on productivity per animal, milk and meat quality, genetic improvement, animal welfare, biosecurity, traceability and the rational spatial organisation of farms.
At the same time, the aim is to make better use of meat production, which currently remains largely underutilised compared with milk production. Mr Malas noted that the excessive concentration of animals and farms, inadequate distances between holdings, gaps in biosecurity and traceability, and the absence of comprehensive spatial planning had created a systemically vulnerable model.
Yesterday and tomorrow
Spatial restructuring, however, is only one aspect of the scientific team's recommendations. They are also calling for the sector not to return to the past, when overproduction of cow's milk prevailed at the expense of meat production, alongside low productivity, weak biosecurity, gaps in traceability and piecemeal solutions.
Instead, they propose a new model based on more productive animals and a focus on meat production, biosecurity, an electronic file for each farm, full traceability, veterinary monitoring, genetic improvement, animal welfare and scientific support.
Referring, among other things, to halloumi, the country's second-largest export product after pharmaceuticals, Dr Malas noted that protecting its position requires an adequate supply of high-quality milk and a sustainable, outward-looking livestock sector based primarily on science.
€610.9m across four pillars
For the 12-year action plan, the scientists are calling for total expenditure of €610,925,000. Specifically:
- €372.225m for the restructuring and upgrading of sheep and goat farming.
- €134m for cattle farming.
- €41m for horizontal measures, including €10m for the creation of 10 calf-fattening units, €10m for the creation of lamb and kid-fattening units, €4m for fencing farms and installing electronic biosecurity systems, €7m for improving animal welfare and live monitoring, and €10m for targeted decongestion of livestock farming areas.
- €63.7m for scientific support, including €14.2m for scientific support for genetic evaluation and improvement, €9.6m for the creation and operation of an accredited milk research laboratory and scientific analysis of milk technology, €9.2m for the creation and operation of a meat research laboratory and scientific analysis of meat, €5.65m for the creation and support of a smart cattle farming team, €5.65m for the creation and support of a smart sheep and goat farming team, €4.15m for the creation and support of a sustainable livestock farming team, €5.35m for the creation and operation of a sheep and goat semen and embryo bank, €5.5m for a programme monitoring animal welfare indicators, and €4.4m for an electronic livestock farm file and scientific support.
