Cyprus has placed every livestock farm on the island under an emergency lockdown to stop the spread of foot-and-mouth disease, as authorities confirmed 110 cases across 11 infected units holding nearly 14,000 animals.
The Veterinary Services of the Agriculture Ministry published the lockdown order in the Official Gazette on Thursday, invoking the Animal Health Laws of 2001–2023. The directive bans the movement of cloven-hoofed animals — cattle, pigs, sheep and goats — to and from farms across the entire island, prohibits open grazing, and blocks the transport of animal feed, medicines and equipment. All farm visits not strictly necessary for animal welfare are also banned.
The director of Veterinary Services, Christodoulos Pipis, may grant special permits in limited circumstances, including transport of animals directly to slaughterhouses, delivery of feed and medicines by approved suppliers, and water supply for livestock.
The outbreak escalated sharply between 19 and 22 February, with cases emerging at 11 farms in the Larnaca-district villages of Livadia, Oroklini, Troulloi and Aradippou — five units in Oroklini, four in Livadia, and one each in Aradippou and Troulloi.
A total of 110 animals have tested positive across those units, which hold 13,920 animals in all. A first compensation package for affected farmers is estimated at €4.5 million.
No new cases were detected between 23 and 26 February, either within the surveillance zone or elsewhere in Cyprus. However, Senior Veterinary Officer Soteria Georgiadou cautioned that “we are still at the beginning” of the crisis and said full eradication could take up to six months.
Georgiadou said culling is unavoidable even for animals showing no symptoms, given how easily the virus spreads. “If we had left it unchecked, within a month Cyprus would have been overrun with the virus. We would have seen a dramatic drop in milk production of up to 50%,” she said.
Authorities are now racing to build a vaccine firewall around the infected areas. Some 9,000 cows within the 3km protection zone have already been vaccinated.
The broader plan targets 170,801 animals in total: within the 10km zone, 25,613 cattle, 97,021 sheep and goats, and 48,167 pigs are to be vaccinated.
Distribution of 50,000 doses sourced from the occupied areas of Cyprus begins today, following an earlier consignment of 10,000 doses already issued to private vets. A large EU shipment of 529,000 doses is expected to arrive tomorrow morning.
Larnaca district is under the tightest controls. Twenty-one disinfection spray stations have been set up, with police manning static checkpoints. Georgiadou described the situation as a full “stand still,” saying “not even a mosquito moves.”
Investigators are examining whether some farmers in Oroklini concealed cases, after laboratory analysis indicated the virus had been present there two weeks before it was officially reported.
The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) has suspended Cyprus’s status as a foot-and-mouth-free country. Authorities said halloumi exports are not expected to be affected, as the boiling process used in its production destroys the virus. Other fresh animal products, however, face export restrictions.
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