Livestock farmers are marching on the Presidential Palace in Nicosia today in protest at the measures being applied to contain the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.
The demonstration began at 10:00 at GSP Stadium in Nicosia, with protesters moving towards the Presidential Palace at around 11:00, marching through the capital’s road network. Cyprus Police are monitoring the mobilisation and have put traffic management measures in place across the wider area.
Farmers are objecting primarily to the culling of healthy and asymptomatic animals, describing the measures as blanket action that is damaging the sector. They have also raised strong objections to what they say are sampling operations being carried out by Veterinary Services officials on vaccinated animals.
Their main demands are the immediate halt of cullings, an end to what they describe as unlawful sampling, and clear answers from the government on compensation.
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