Cyprus’s Veterinary Services have confirmed a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak at a cattle farm in Livadia, Larnaca, the first case detected in the government-controlled areas of the island, triggering the immediate activation of strict EU containment protocols.
An emergency meeting of all relevant authorities is under way at Veterinary Services headquarters to coordinate the response. All 300 animals at the affected farm will be culled and buried under prescribed sanitary procedures, in line with the Animal Health Regulations of 2004. All products from the unit, including milk and meat, have been seized.
Under the same protocols, any positive case found at another farm within a 3km protection zone would trigger the culling of all animals at that premises as well.
Veterinary Services sought to reassure the public that the virus affects only cloven-hoofed animals — cattle, sheep and pigs — and does not transmit to humans. Consumption of pasteurised products poses no public health risk, they said.
Initial indications suggest the strain is the same SAT1 serotype that recently affected the occupied areas of Cyprus, first detected in occupied Lapithos. The exact route of transmission to the government-controlled areas is still under investigation. Authorities are examining all scenarios, including spread across the buffer zone or through illegal movement of animals.
In recent weeks, Veterinary Services had carried out checks at 130 farms along the buffer zone — including in Athienou, Lymbia and Potamia — all of which returned negative results.
In response to the new outbreak, authorities are installing additional disinfection systems at crossing points, deploying officers to escort milk tankers in sensitive areas, and requiring strict biosecurity compliance from all livestock farmers. Farmers are urged to report any suspicious symptoms immediately.
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