Reopening of FMD hit livestock units to be announced in the coming days

Official dates for the reactivation of livestock units affected by foot and mouth disease (FMD) will be announced in the coming days, director general of agriculture ministry Andreas Gregoriou told the House agriculture committee on Tuesday. Gregoriou said livestock farmers would be informed about the exact dates through a relevant announcement, which will outline indicative dates for the restarting of the units. He highlighted that the ministry’s priorities have shifted from the management of the disease to efforts for the reactivation of livestock units, with meetings on the matter held every Tuesday. According to the ministry’s data, a total of 126 farms were affected by the virus, leading to the killing of more than 80,000 animals. Of these, 53,403 concerned goats and sheep, 24,483 pigs and 3,061 cattle. Gregoriou said that the losses correspond to 11.9 per cent of adult goats and sheep, 7.8 per cent of pigs and 3.5 per cent of cattle. Gregoriou said a vaccination programme has been completed in around 97 per cent of goat, sheep and cattle farms, with the first booster vaccination underway following the completion of the two initial doses, while the Council of Ministers have approved an expenditure of €5.1 million for the procurement of vaccines for 2026 and 2027. Gregoriou went on to note that a total of €20.26 million has been paid in compensation. Reimbursement payments for livestock farmers In relation to the income losses experienced by farmers, Gregoriou said that a methodology for financial support has been drawn up. He said that the draft was to be submitted to the finance ministry for final approval in the coming days. According to Gregoriou, the support will apply to livestock units whose entire livestock has been culled and will be calculated based on financial data from 2024 or 2025. It is set to cover a period of 12 months. Gregoriou highlighted that one of the key conditions of the funding will be the restoration of at least 30 per cent of livestock within eight months. Regarding halloumi, Gregoriou said that the provision according to which goat’s milk must account for a greater proportion than cow’s milk will remain in force until summer 2029. Meanwhile, director of the veterinary services Christodoulos Pipis said no active virus has been detected, clarifying, however, that this does not mean that culling has stopped. Referring to the pending issues affecting the restart of units, he said that in the Dromolaxia area, the movement of fat-tailed sheep, for which the relevant approval of the land registry has been secured, is expected to allow the reactivation of units. In Oroklini and Livadia, the cleaning of a unit is pending, while in Aradippou and Athienou the management of a specific breeding farm and the destruction of hay bales must be completed, for which space has been found in Kelia. Pipis also mentioned that there are ready-made units in Oroklini, Dromolaxia, Aradippou and Pachna. Regarding the latter, he said that the livestock farmers had finally agreed to have their animals vaccinated, and that the process of identifying suitable animals for the units was progressing well. Livestock breeders call for acceleration of procedures Speaking on behalf of the pig farmers association, Christodoulos Fotiou requested clarification on the continuation of the free distribution of vaccines, as well as the completion of the plan for compensation and reactivation of the livestock units. Head of the Voice of Livestock Breeders Neophytos Neophytou called for the vaccinations to be completed immediately and for compensation for loss of income to be granted independently of reactivation. He said there are no animals available in Cyprus for the recreation of livestock and steps should be taken to find them abroad, asking for contributions towards the reconstitution of goat and sheep farming units and expressed his opposition to a possible change in the halloumi quota.