Cyprus’s cabinet has approved advance payments of up to €50,000 per livestock unit affected by the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, with the amount varying according to the number of animals, as the virus continues to spread across the greater Larnaca area.
Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou described the package as a first, immediate, and substantive intervention, reflecting the government’s determination to support the primary sector at a critical moment.
She said a special committee would be established — comprising the Veterinary Services, the Agriculture Department, the Agricultural Research Institute, and representatives of farmers and agricultural organisations — to draw up a tailored compensation package ensuring each farmer receives the support needed to fully resume operations.
Disease-free zones have already been identified in other countries to allow animals to be transferred to Cyprus once disinfection is complete and affected areas are fully cleared of the disease, Panayiotou said.
The announcement came as the Ministry published a formal decree in the Official Gazette, placing Cypriot livestock farming on official heightened alert two weeks after the first case was detected. The virus has since spread to 23 units in the greater Larnaca area.
The decree converts previous recommendations into binding obligations. It bans all movement of cloven-hoofed animals — including cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, camels, deer, antelope, llamas, alpacas, and mouflon — to and from farms within control zones.
Grazing, fodder movement, and the movement of agricultural equipment and personnel are also prohibited, except where strictly necessary for animal care. All public visits to animal exhibition sites within restricted zones are banned.
Fodder collection, transport, movement, and ensiling are suspended until at least 21 March 2026 to prevent the virus spreading through feed.
The competent authority retains the right to issue special permits for transport to slaughterhouses, movement of owners and staff to their units, supply of medicines and water, milk collection by dairies, and the transfer of piglets between breeding and fattening units outside danger zones, provided a written veterinary certificate confirming no symptoms on the day of transfer is produced.
Farmers who breach the restrictions face administrative fines of up to €5,000 under Article 13B of the Animal Health Law. Farmers gathering in areas outside danger zones must observe strict biosecurity and disinfection rules. The decree supersedes a notification issued on 26 February.
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