The Agriculture Ministry has ordered round-the-clock vehicle disinfection at crossing points from the occupied areas after foot-and-mouth disease broke out in the occupied north.
Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou held a meeting with officials and stakeholders on Monday to approve the emergency measures.
Christodoulos Pipis, Director of Veterinary Services, said crossing points will now have 24-hour coverage to guarantee all vehicles travelling from occupied to government-controlled areas are disinfected.
Inspections have been intensified along livestock farms near the ceasefire line since the outbreak was announced. “We need to make sure there are no incidents along the livestock farms that exist all along the ceasefire line,” Pipis said.
The ministry will contact British Bases authorities, police, the army and farmers’ groups to strengthen surveillance along the Green Line and prevent illegal cross-border activity.
Farmers will receive guidelines on setting up vehicle disinfection areas at their farms and in livestock zones. The ministry will also contact Australian authorities about accepting halloumi shipments currently heading to Australia.
A monitoring committee has been set up with Veterinary Services representatives and delegates from cattle, sheep and goat, pig farmers and cheese-makers.
No other country has indicated plans to impose restrictions or trade measures against Cyprus over the outbreak, Pipis said. The ministry is in ongoing contact with the European Commission’s Health Directorate and the World Organisation for Animal Health, and will reach out to the FAO.
Asked how Veterinary Services gets updates on the situation in the occupied areas, Pipis said information comes through the press, the internet and online citizen communication systems.
A visit by four European Union experts confirmed that Veterinary Services handled the matter correctly, particularly in focusing on farms along the ceasefire line in government-controlled areas, he said. The services are pushing these farms to implement even stricter controls on who enters.
Asked whether the disease could affect other animals besides cattle, Pipis said foot-and-mouth disease only affects cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, goats, sheep and pigs.
“It does not affect any other animal species and, most importantly, it does not affect humans and has no public health significance,” he said.
(information from CNA)
Read more: