Further delays in the payment of compensation for lost income to livestock farmers who lost their animals due to foot-and-mouth disease are being caused by the recent culls and suspected cases, as the process of reactivating the farms is being delayed, Neophytos Neophytou, President of “The Voice of Livestock Farmers,” told CNA. He also expressed his organization’s position that there is currently no active foot-and-mouth disease virus in Cyprus.
Following a meeting with sheep and goat farmers on Friday evening, Mr. Neophytou said that the organization had briefed more than 200 farmers whose animals were culled on the latest developments and how the compensation plan forincome. As he noted, they expect the Ministry to send them the plan in writing within the next week, so that they can then inform those affected about the next steps.
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As he explained, the plan stipulates that, in order for compensation for lost income to begin, animals must first be selected on a random basis (control animals) must first be placed at the farms where the livestock was culled, undergo testing, and, once it is confirmed that the farms are free of the virus, farmers will be allowed to order new animals. According to the information they have received, income payments will begin once 30% of the animals ordered have arrived at the farms.
“People are worried because they have been without income for many, many months,” he said, adding that the recent culls and suspected cases are delaying the process even further, resulting in livestock farmers remaining without income for additional months.
Mr. Neophytou clarified that compensation for culled animals is a separate issue from the payment of lost income, which concerns livestock farmers who have lost their livestock and remain without income until their operations resume.
Disagreement Over Culling Based on Antibodies
Referring to the management of foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks, the President of “The Voice of Livestock Farmers” reiterated the organization’s position that culling should only take place when an active virus is detected, and not merely due to the presence of antibodies.
“Here, the authorities are only talking about detecting foot-and-mouth disease antibodies. We continue to maintain—as do many veterinarians—that this whole business with antibodies must stop. Animals should only be culled if the active virus is present,” he said.
He argued that so far, no positive results for the active virus have been detected, but the findings pertain to antibodies. He added that the organization is requesting permission to place animals in the facilities for random testing so that the livestock sector can begin to recover.
“It’s unacceptable that, eight months after we culled so many animals and vaccinated them, we’re now talking about culling again. It’s completely unacceptable. We’ve devastated the industry, vaccinated the animals, and now they’re coming to talk to us about antibodies,” he said.
He also noted, in line with the organization’s position, the recent culls involved animals in which antibodies were detected, without the presence of an active virus being confirmed, and he expressed strong disagreement with this practice.
Source: KYPE
