Scientific committee proposes €611 million, 12-year plan to rebuild livestock sector

Economy agricultureanimal welfarefarmersfoot-and-mouthTop News Scientific committee proposes €611 million, 12-year plan to rebuild livestock sector Scientific Committee Proposes €611 Million, 12 Year Plan To Rebuild Livestock Sector Relevant News Scientific committee proposes €611 million, 12-year plan to rebuild livestock sector 28 August 2026 Why more Italians are choosing Cyprus — and the numbers behind the trend 28 August 2026 Binge it or skip it: This Is a Gardening Show – Galifianakis makes gardening cool 28 August 2026 Angelos Nicolaou 28 August 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber A Special Scientific Committee chaired by Stavros Malas has submitted reports to President Nikos Christodoulides setting out a 12-year programme to rebuild Cyprus’s livestock sector following the foot-and-mouth disease crisis, with the documents reaching the President’s office yesterday. The reports outline a long-term, reformist programme involving total investment of €610.92 million, to be implemented between 2027 and 2038, aiming at the full recovery and reconstruction of the sector. The foot-and-mouth crisis, which led to the culling of more than 84,000 animals and caused massive losses in milk production, exposed structural weaknesses built up over decades, including the chaotic and dense clustering of livestock units, inadequate biosecurity, a lack of monitoring of animal populations, and uncontrolled animal movements. The Scientific Committee sought to address these weaknesses. The proposed programme is described as highly modernising but also complex, linking milk production, meat production, genetic improvement, unit location, biosecurity, animal welfare and environmental management. Economic impact study requested According to cross-checked information, a proposal was put to Malas during yesterday’s meeting at the Presidential Palace for an immediate Economic Impact Study to be carried out. The government considers the study absolutely necessary in order to accurately assess the state’s fiscal capacity to sustain the required annual spending. Clear instructions were also given to explore the possibility of co-financing the programme through EU community funds. This need is considered pressing, since the proposed €610 million in funding is 565 per cent higher than the total public support provided between 2014 and 2025, which amounted to €91.5 million. The four pillars of the action plan The proposed 12-year programme, aimed at addressing both the effects of the foot-and-mouth crisis and the sector’s wider challenges, is structured around four main areas of action. The first, restructuring sheep and goat farming, carries a budget of €372.2 million. It covers the creation of new large units or the purchase of existing ones at €240 million, the upgrading of existing units at €90 million, genetic improvement programmes worth €24.4 million, and a dedicated programme to develop the local Machairas goat breed at €8 million. A further €6 million is allocated to replenishing sheep and goat stock lost to culling, and €3.8 million to productive replacement of sheep and goats. The second, restructuring cattle farming, carries a budget of €134 million, focused on genetic improvement across all units at €30 million, the creation of 50 new synchronised units at €50 million, the upgrading or purchase of existing units at €50 million, and preservation of the local Cypriot cattle breed at €2.5 million. A further €1.5 million is allocated to replenishing cattle stock lost to culling. The third pillar covers horizontal measures worth €41 million, including the establishment of 10 organised calf fattening units and 10 lamb and kid fattening units, at €10 million each, located away from dairy production zones, along with fencing and electronic biosecurity systems worth €4 million, and targeted decongestion of overburdened areas worth €10 million. A further €7 million is earmarked for improving animal welfare and live monitoring. The fourth pillar, scientific support, is worth €63.7 million. It covers scientific support for genetic evaluation and improvement at €14.2 million, the establishment of accredited research laboratories for milk (€9.6 million) and meat (€9.2 million), a sperm and embryo bank at €5.35 million, smart farming teams for cattle and for sheep and goats at €5.65 million each, a mandatory electronic file for every unit at €4.4 million, and a programme to monitor animal welfare indicators, also at €4.4 million. Strategic goals for supporting the sector Among the plan’s strategic goals is doubling sheep and goat milk production to meet demand for PDO halloumi, not through an unchecked increase in animal numbers but through higher productivity per animal, with the introduction of 10,000 high-yield animals a year. A second goal targets more efficient cattle farming, aiming for at least 10,000 litres of milk per cow annually, so that total production returns to pre-crisis levels with a smaller, more sustainable animal population. The plan also proposes new location rules banning further concentration of units in already saturated areas, with new installations permitted strictly within designated Livestock Zones based on health and environmental criteria. For scientific oversight of the programme, the reports propose setting up a permanent Scientific and Research Consortium, with the Cyprus Institute, the Agricultural Research Institute, the Cyprus University of Technology and the University of Nicosia’s veterinary school as core partners. What went wrong: the existing framework and the causes of collapse The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease exposed structural problems and long-standing weaknesses in Cyprus’s existing model of livestock development, which grew across three categories of land use. There are 61 livestock areas in operation, 41 on state land under the Department of Agriculture and 20 on Turkish Cypriot land under the Turkish Cypriot Properties Management Service, where only a building permit is required. Livestock zones cover private or state plots where livestock units, with the exception of pig farms, may be established without a planning permit. In agricultural areas, licensing is carried out under Development Plans, where most units are concentrated. According to the Committee, the livestock-areas model was adopted under pressure from urgent tourism and residential development needs rather than as part of long-term planning. Treating units as industrial zones rather than as living biological systems led to an over-concentration of animals in confined spaces. The foot-and-mouth outbreak exposed the weaknesses of this model directly: 84 per cent of the units affected by the disease were located within organised livestock areas, cases were recorded in seven areas, five of which were densely built-up livestock areas, and shared access routes, inadequate fencing and a lack of biosecurity turned these areas into single high-risk epidemiological zones. To prevent future health crises, the Committee proposes a series of regulatory changes. Operational and livestock management of all livestock areas would be transferred exclusively to the Department of Agriculture. In livestock zones, the plot coverage ratio for private or state land would rise from 30 to 60 per cent, while in agricultural zones the building ratio for upgraded units would rise to 60 per cent. The existing disincentive limit of 100 productive sheep and goats per unit in agricultural zones would rise to at least 500 animals, with no restriction at all on animal numbers for units located more than 1,000 metres from a residential or tourist zone. In the Paphos and Limassol districts, where there is a serious shortage of available state land and livestock zones, the Committee proposes targeted expropriation of private plots within zones, to be leased out for the creation of new large units. A mandatory minimum distance of 300 metres would be established between the boundaries of independent livestock units, with a clear separation of zones for milk production, meat production and fattening, breeding, and quarantine. Plots that are vacated would not be reassigned for housing animals if located less than 200 metres from active units. The Committee also proposes a mandatory, unified electronic monitoring system, using GPS trackers, for all tankers and vehicles transporting animal feed, milk, animals or waste, in order to monitor the spread of disease. 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