VACCINATIONS FOR FOOT AND MOUTH BEGIN TODAY - FIRST IN THE CRITICAL ZONE, FOLLOWED BY ALL OF CYPRUS - KILLING OF ANIMALS ONLY IN 11 POSITIVE UNITS - Filenews 25/2 - Angelos Nikolaou
The Veterinary Services are starting today a gigantic vaccination program throughout the territory of Cyprus.
The aim is to create a firewall against the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease virus, which seems to have been circulating quietly in free areas for weeks.
The policy of the authorities provides for the killing of all animals in the 11 units where positive cases have already occurred, in order to avoid the mass extermination of healthy livestock.
The Republic of Cyprus, in full coordination with the European Commission, is implementing emergency vaccination.
The process starts this morning with the briefing of private veterinarians by international experts (EUVET team), who will guide the operation in the field.
Vaccination starts (with 10,000 vaccines delivered today from the occupied territories) from the critical zone (10 kilometers) of cases in Larnaca and includes all livestock units in the areas of Livadia, Oroklini, Aradippou, Kelia and Troula.
Every corner of the island will gradually be covered, with the 529,000 doses of vaccines arriving in the coming days from Europe.
The Veterinary Services, which had already carried out preventive examinations of thousands of animals along the green line since the beginning of January, are now on maximum alert.
According to information, every year the Veterinary Services examine about 500 animals (cattle, goats, sheep) for foot-and-mouth disease, while depending on the risk, about 200-300 pigs are examined.
After the case in the occupied territories, an investigation of the green line units for the disease began. At the beginning of January, 1,914 sheep and goats (from 65 farms), 1,795 cattle (from 62 farms) and 90 pigs (from 3 farms) were examined. More specifically, 130 farms were examined and all results were negative.
The authorities call on livestock farmers to observe strict biosecurity measures and prohibit any third party from entering their units.
Impact on trade and halloumi
Due to the loss of 'foot-and-mouth disease-free country' status, exports of live animals and unprocessed products are temporarily suspended.
However, there is a window of optimism for halloumi. The Commission clarified that products that have undergone heat treatment (at least pasteurization) can continue to be placed on the EU market.
Virus from the beginning of February
The data emerging from the epidemiological investigation are worrying. Although the first official information of the Veterinary Services was made on February 19 by a breeder in Livadia, Larnaca, the results of specialized analyses reveal that the virus seems to have been in the free areas since at least the beginning of February, which explains its rapid spread.
