The replenishment of livestock lost to foot-and-mouth disease, compensation for affected farmers, demands from livestock breeders for further relaxations or compensatory measures while the ban on free grazing remains in place, and EU involvement in efforts north of the ceasefire line were among the key issues discussed during Tuesday's session of the House Agriculture Committee.
According to the Veterinary Services, the veterinary crisis is now in decline.
Uncertainty over livestock replacement
Agriculture Ministry Director-General Andreas Gregoriou said the government's initial decision was to bring in animals from abroad. However, concerns about delays led authorities to also consider replenishing livestock from domestic herds.
Gregoriou revealed that, following a request for an extension, the committee for the reconstruction of the livestock sector, chaired by Stavros Malas, will present a study by the end of July on how the country's livestock population should be rebuilt.
He added that if farmers incur additional costs as part of the restocking process, the government will examine the possibility of covering those expenses.
For his part, Neophytos Neophytou, president of the Voice of Livestock Farmers group, argued that obtaining animals from within Cyprus would be problematic because samples would first have to be taken from non-infected farms.
However, he said livestock farmers are reluctant to allow testing for fear that their animals could test positive for the virus and be culled. For that reason, he insisted that animals should be imported from abroad.
DISY MP Prodromos Alambritis, citing information from people familiar with the sector, warned that sourcing animals from the domestic market would be difficult. As a result, Cyprus is likely to need imports, albeit with delays.
Compensation still pending
According to Gregoriou, a total of €12,755,619 has so far been paid to eligible beneficiaries, while the remaining outstanding cases are expected to be processed in the coming days.
To date, payments include:
- €429,480 in advance payments to 40 beneficiaries
- €594,969 for destroyed milk to 54 beneficiaries
- €882,415 for animal feed to 85 beneficiaries
- €10,848,755 for culled animals to 90 beneficiaries
At the same time, 17 additional compensation cases remain under review by the Veterinary Services following legal advice, with the aim of paying affected farmers within the coming days.
Following questions from MPs, a Veterinary Services representative said some of these cases are being investigated because authorities believe it is highly possible that actions by the farmer contributed to the infection of the holding, which could ultimately affect eligibility for compensation.
Senior Veterinary Officer Sotiria Georgiadou referred specifically to seven of the 17 outstanding cases, saying they are linked to the movement of animals that later tested positive for the virus.
She said such movements are questionable and raise suspicions regarding the spread of the disease. Gregoriou clarified, however, that no final decisions have yet been taken.
'No' to grazing relaxations due to animal mixing
“We believe that, after four months, we are on the right path. We need to continue our efforts in order to protect the remaining 90 per cent of the healthy livestock population,” Gregoriou said.
At the same time, he made clear that the main restrictions on grazing remain in place for biosecurity reasons, stressing that the limited concessions introduced through the latest decree, including controlled animal movements between farms and to slaughterhouses, do not constitute a return to normality.
A Veterinary Services official explained that authorities remain opposed to further relaxations because grazing can lead to the mixing of animals from different herds, creating the risk of a new outbreak.
As long as all potentially infectious materials, including hay bales, have not been destroyed, grazing restrictions cannot be eased, the official said.
According to Georgiadou, delays in the destruction of hay bales have occurred because the process requires Fire Service supervision and controlled burning.
EU involvement in the north
MPs also sought an update on measures being taken by the Republic of Cyprus to prevent a repeat transmission of the virus from the Turkish-held north should the disease be eradicated in government-controlled areas.
They also asked about efforts to secure EU involvement in tackling the outbreak north of the ceasefire line through the uniform application of European protocols across the island.
Gregoriou said coordinated efforts are under way through contacts with EU officials in Cyprus and Brussels to exert the necessary pressure in the north.
At the same time, he relayed information available to the Republic of Cyprus indicating that the foot-and-mouth situation in the north has improved.
