Next week, the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, and the Minister of Agriculture, Christos Senekis, will receive the study prepared by the head of the Special Scientific Committee for the Reconstruction of the Livestock Sector, Dr. Stavros Malas, following the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease that led to the culling of thousands of animals and the imposition of restrictive measures on the primary sector. Appearing as a guest on the Alpha Kalokairi show, Mr. Senekis said that at this time there are no livestock farms where the virus is active, but he made it clear that the prescribed protocol for replacing the livestock must be followed.
“I’m not one for grand statements. We are at a good stage and must be extremely cautious. We also ask for the understanding of farm owners so that we can move forward. And with the expertise Mr. Malas will provide us, we will enter an era of greater resilience in our livestock sector.”
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Mr. Senekis noted that the government has already paid compensation to approximately one hundred livestock farmers affected by foot-and-mouth disease, while there remain “a handful of cases that can be counted on the fingers of one hand.”
“In some cases, there is disagreement over the number of animals that have been culled and should be compensated. Our policy position is that compensation should be paid for all legally culled animals on farms.”
The Minister of Agriculture also sent a message regarding the government’s determination to uphold the rule of law in the livestock sector and assured that all prescribed procedures will be followedbased on a relevant opinion from the Legal Service.
