Veterinary Services and police are investigating after a large number of sheep and goats were found at a livestock unit in Tseri in what authorities suspect was an illegal transfer aimed at avoiding the animals’ destruction.
According to philenews, a Veterinary Services team accompanied by a strong police presence went to a unit in Tseri on Thursday after receiving information. The unit belongs to a livestock farmer from the area.
To secure the process and prevent any further movement of the animals, police guarded the unit throughout the night. At first light, veterinarians took samples from the animals, while police investigators had already begun taking statements from the owners and workers involved.
The evidence gathered so far indicates that the animals are believed to belong to a well-known livestock trader whose unit in Dali was placed under restriction last week, with his animals due to be culled after a virus was detected.
A significant number of animals appear to have been moved secretly and illegally to Tseri in an effort to save them from the disease eradication process.
The most serious concern in the case is the risk of the virus spreading. Experts described the transfer of animals from an infected area such as Dali to an area such as Tseri, where no cases had been detected until now, as a “health bomb”.
The suspected illegal move undermines the state’s efforts to contain the outbreak and places the livestock population of the wider Nicosia district at immediate risk.
Veterinary Services and police have stepped up checks and have already identified four cases of illegal animal movements.
In all cases, the procedures laid down by law are being followed, including administrative fines and criminal prosecutions.