The Veterinary Services are expected to proceed with the culling of approximately 3,000 animals that tested positive for foot-and-mouth disease, following consultation with the European Commission. Speaking on the Alpha Kalimera program, the Director of the Veterinary Services, Christodoulos Pipis, explained why the process had not been initiated earlier, emphasizing that efforts were made to avoid culling the animals.
As he clarified, the approximately 3,000 cases are not new incidents, but involve animals that had tested positive for antibodies as part of the surveillance conducted following the vaccination campaign. According to him, the Veterinary Services did not proceed immediately with their culling, as they sought clarification from the European Commission, expressing specific reservations regarding the necessity of the measure.
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Mr. Pipis explained that during the consultations, the epidemiological situation, vaccination coverage, as well as the geographic location of livestock farms in relation to previous outbreak sites. As he noted, these issues were discussed in detail with a team of experts in Vienna, after which the Cypriot authorities were advised to proceed with the culling. When asked if there is written documentation, he confirmed that a relevant report has been prepared by the experts.
Referring to the reactions of livestock farmers, the Director of Veterinary Services acknowledged the difficulty of the situation, emphasizing that the culling of the animals is not a desirable outcome for the competent authorities. “It’s not easy to go to someone’s livestock farm and tell them, ‘You know, your animals are going to be culled for this reason,’” he noted.
When asked to comment on the possibility that other animals might test positive for antibodies during the reactivation of affected livestock farms, Mr. Pipis emphasized the seriousness of foot-and-mouth disease. As he explained, it is a particularly serious disease from an epidemiological standpoint, as the virus spreads very easily and its appearance in a country causes enormous economic consequences, while also affecting the ability to resume livestock farming.
In conclusion, he emphasized that the Veterinary Services are required to implement the prescribed procedures in order to prevent a new outbreak of the disease. As he noted, the goal of their actions is to prevent a recurrence of the situation that arose last February, as well as the possibility that the country might face even more serious consequences.
