Authorities on Sunday announced a ban on any movement of animals and feed, including grazing outside livestock premises, after cases of foot and mouth disease were identified in a small number of farms in the Larnaca district.
The Cyprus Veterinary Services said in an announcement that, within the framework of measures to control and limit the spread of the Foot and Mouth Disease pathogen, “any movement of animals and feed, including grazing outside livestock premises, is prohibited throughout Cyprus” without getting prior approval by the competent Services.
The ban also affects animal transfers to slaughterhouses.
The Agriculture Department also sent written recommendations to local authorities and district administration offices in Larnaca, Limassol and Paphos for preventive measures.
The foot and mouth disease cases were detected in farms in the communities of Livadia and Oroklini in the Larnaca district. Officials of neighbouring communities in the same district that also host farms such as Athienou, Aradippou, and Dromolaxia-Meneou, told CNA they were monitoring the situation and were taking preventive measures in cooperation with the farmers such as preparing disinfection tanks and gathering equipment to block off access to farms if deemed necessary.
'Disastrous' to the economy
At the same time, representative of the local authorities of the affected communities, Livadia and Oroklini, told CNA that they were providing support services to farmers to address the situation, including water to be used for disinfection, and lighting using photovoltaics.
In the meantime, cow, sheep and goat farmers and farmers’ organisations told CNA that the priority was to contain the disease through stricter protection measures, while also calling for financial assistance to those affected.
They said that if the disease spreads, it would be “disastrous” to the economy and that thousands of jobs would be lost.
They also noted that farmers took hundreds of thousands of euros in loans for their businesses and that these loans now risk becoming non-performing.
Some of the communities also called off carnival and other events to prevent possible further spread of the disease since some venues were close to farms.
CNA