Police have stepped up patrols along the Green Line to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease from the occupied north after private veterinarians identified clinical lesions consistent with the virus in 70 cows last week.
Veterinary Services mobilised immediately after learning of cases at a livestock unit in the occupied village of Lapathos in Famagusta, and sent a letter to Cyprus Police requesting enhanced border measures. Samples from the affected animals have been sent to Turkey for laboratory testing.
Police spokeswoman Marina Christodoulidou said yesterday that officers had been ordered to increase checks in cooperation with Veterinary Services and the Customs Department.
Veterinary Services director Christodoulos Pipis wrote to Police leadership last week warning of the outbreak and asking them to intensify patrols along the buffer zone. The letter sought to prevent illegal movements of animals or animal products across the Green Line, and to stop animals from occupied areas grazing alongside livestock in the Republic at sites near the dividing line.
Pipis asked to be notified immediately if officers spot such incidents.
Foot-and-mouth disease is highly contagious and spreads rapidly through direct contact or contaminated vehicles and equipment. No treatment exists, and legislation requires the culling of all animals in a holding if a case is confirmed. The disease leads to immediate export bans on live animals and dairy products.
Australia has already removed Cyprus from its list of foot-and-mouth disease-free countries, blocking halloumi and other dairy exports. Nicosia has mobilised the EU’s health and trade directorates to challenge the decision and is preparing interventions at the World Trade Organisation.
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