Cyprus’s Cabinet has approved a sharp increase in penalties under the Animal Health Law, with maximum fines rising to €250,000 and prison sentences extended to up to ten years, as foot-and-mouth disease culling continues across the island.
The Cabinet approved the Agriculture Ministry’s proposal on Thursday, with penalties for non-compliance with the law’s provisions rising from a maximum of six months in prison or a €3,323 fine to up to five years in prison or a €250,000 fine. For the movement of animals or animal products from areas not under the effective control of the Republic of Cyprus, the maximum sentence increases from 12 months in prison or an €8,309 fine to ten years in prison or a €250,000 fine. The administrative fine the Director of Veterinary Services may impose where there is reasonable cause to believe a violation has occurred rises from €5,000 to €100,000.
Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou, speaking after the Cabinet meeting, confirmed that culling is proceeding as announced since last Tuesday, citing Pachna as an example. Veterinary Services are being accompanied by police during the procedures. The Minister said she had received no reports of resistance to the culling as of the time of her statement.
On halloumi, Panayiotou said the government is in continuous dialogue with all stakeholders through the Halloumi Monitoring Committee, which she said was established precisely to ensure direct dialogue and management of emerging issues. She added that since October 2024 the government has been counting goat and sheep milk quantities and now has a clear picture of available volumes.
The quota reduction introduced in the relevant decree, she said, was a temporary measure made necessary by a significant drop in milk quantities. The government’s broader goals, she said, are “the preservation of halloumi as the primary agri-food export product of the country, the safeguarding of the PDO status which gives its own momentum to exports, and the viability of all stakeholders.” All decisions, she added, are taken on the basis of those three objectives.
Read more: