According to official records, approximately 3,000 cases of foot-and-mouth disease were detected this summer at five livestock farms in the areas of Avgorou, Dromolaxia, Alethriko, Aradippou, and Pentakomo, as stated to CNA on Sunday by the Director of Veterinary Services, Christodoulos Pipis, told KYPE on Sunday, noting that the culling of the animals is expected to take place in the coming days.
When asked about compensation for the farmers who own these animals, Mr. Pipis stated that the same measures applied in other cases will apply here as well. “They will be compensated for the animals and for the milk; if they resume operations, they will receive support as part of their recovery efforts, as well as for any losses. They will be included in the group of affected livestock farmers,” he said.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
As Mr. Pipis explained, these incidents had been identified over the summer, but were not officially reported at the time, as the Veterinary Services sought to clarify the matter with the European Commission.
“These are not new cases,” he said, explaining that the Veterinary Services’ reservations concerned the epidemiological conditions, vaccination, and the location of the farms in relation to the initial cases, as well as the legal requirements that must be met for the official declaration of a case.
“We did not proceed with their official recording at that time, as we wanted to discuss the matter with the European Commission and clarify whether, given the specific circumstances, they should be reported as cases,” said Mr. Pipis.
He added that the cases will be reported based on the date they were detected, while the culling of the animals is expected to take place within the next few days.
At the same time, as he noted, the owners of the five livestock farms will be summoned to the Ministry of Agriculture at noon on Monday to be briefed on the situation and the procedure that will be followed.
Source: CNA
