Australia’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Ministry has officially removed Cyprus from its list of foot-and-mouth disease-free countries, placing commercial food trade relations between the two nations in a state of emergency following suspected cases in the occupied north.
The decision came after reports of clinical lesions consistent with foot-and-mouth disease in 70 cows at a livestock unit in the occupied village of Lapathos in the Famagusta district, according to Turkish Cypriot press and social media. Private veterinarians identified the lesions, and samples have been sent to Turkey for laboratory testing.
Nicosia has mobilised the EU’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety and the Directorate-General for Trade, seeking coordinated handling of Australia’s strict approach, which mirrors a similar move in 2015 over Lumpy Skin Disease in the occupied areas.
The Republic’s action plan includes sending an official challenge letter to Australia documenting that no risk exists from the free areas, intervention at the World Trade Organisation and the World Organisation for Animal Health, the possibility of objections from affected exporters and Australian importers, and direct communication with the Australian Embassy in Cyprus for reversal of the decision.
Authorities in the Republic have placed Veterinary Services on heightened alert. The disease is considered one of the most destructive for livestock globally, although it does not transmit to humans.
Veterinary Services describe foot-and-mouth disease as a highly contagious viral disease affecting cattle, pigs, sheep and goats. The virus spreads rapidly through direct contact or contaminated vehicles and equipment. No therapeutic treatment exists, and legislation requires the culling of all animals in a holding if a case is confirmed. The appearance of the disease leads to immediate export bans on live animals and dairy products.
Veterinary Services issued urgent letters calling on all involved in the production chain to implement drastic biosecurity measures.
For dairies, the requirements include exclusive collection of milk from legal units in the free areas, strict prohibition of products of unknown origin, and meticulous disinfection of all vehicles and tanks entering facilities.
Milk transporters must wash and disinfect tankers, with emphasis on wheels and pumps, after each route, use special clothing and avoid entry to areas where animals are kept, and immediately stop milk collection if lameness or mouth lesions are observed in animals.
Farmers are instructed to install disinfectant baths at entrances and exits, isolate new animals before mixing with the herd, control rodents and insects, avoid contact with other herds in pastures, and conduct daily checks for any decrease in milk production or suspicious symptoms.
Veterinary Services stated that cooperation from all professionals in the sector is decisive in preventing the disease’s introduction into the free areas, which would deal a critical blow to the viability of Cypriot livestock farming.
Read more: