Filenews 5 December 2022 - by Vassos Vassiliou
A total of €351,067 was allocated over five years for the sterilization of cats, as shown by the answer of the Minister of Agriculture, Costas Kadis, to a question by the MPs of ecologists Charalambos Theopemptou and Alexandra Attalidou.
For the current year, the amount for sterilizations has been increased from €75,000 to €100,000 and 83 veterinarians are participating in the program, who will be paid, on average, €4,229 each. In the period 2017-2021 there were 7,287 neuterings of cats which, on average, cost €48 each. According to the relevant answer, neutering each cat costs €29.41 plus 19% VAT while neutering each cat costs €46.22.
In the relevant answer, it is stated that the Veterinary Services do not have data on the exact number of stray cats. For this purpose, with the contribution of the Local Government Authorities, an effort is underway to first capture the areas in which there is an increased problem and then to extract the necessary assessment per province and nationwide. The involvement of local authorities and the joint planning of targeted actions through an empowered Plan, is expected, according to the response, to lead to a holistic and more effective management of the problem.
Regarding the allocation of the fund, the MPs are informed that the Annual Pancyprian Sterilization Plan for Stray Cats is announced every year by the Veterinary Services and the total annual expenditure was determined by Decisions of the Council of Ministers, with the latest Decision no. 92,960 and date. 20/04/2022, to approve an increase in the budget of the Scheme from €75,000 to €100,000.
The Minister informs the Ecologists' MPs that the implementation of the Plan is undertaken by the District Veterinary Offices (EKG) with the active involvement of the Provincial Animal Welfare Committees. Following an open call, private registered veterinarians who sign a special cooperation agreement, animal welfare organizations and local authorities participate in the project.
Indicatively, in the current Plan for the year 2022 participate 83 private veterinarians nationwide.
A total of 7,287 cats were neutered from 2017 to 2021. In detail, in 2017, a budget of €62,836 was allocated and 1316 cats were neutered. In 2018, €69,128 was spent and 1456 cats were neutered, in 2019 €73,674 was spent and 1528 cats were neutered, in 2020 €73,303 was spent and 1524 cats were neutered, and in 2021 €72,126 was spent and 1463 cats were neutered. The available allocation for 2022 is €100,000.
