THE VACCINATION PROGRAMME WILL BE STRENGTHENED IN CO-ORDINAATION WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION - THE STATE WILL PROVIDE FULL FINANCIAL COVERAGE - Filenews 13/3
The commitment of the State to fully financial support for those affected by foot-and-mouth disease, but also the need for strict implementation of European protocols to limit the spread of the disease, was underlined on Friday by the Government Spokesman, Konstantinos Letympiotis, after the completion of the second meeting, convened by the President of the Republic at the Presidential Palace with all stakeholders.
The meeting was attended by representatives of all directly affected bodies, as well as the competent state services, with the aim of exchanging views and jointly defining actions and measures to deal with the crisis.
According to the Government Spokesman, the common goal of all remains "the support, preservation and further strengthening of the primary sector", underlining that the situation requires responsibility and understanding.
He noted that the rapid and full implementation of the protocols and regulations of the European Union is the basic condition for the containment of the disease, adding that "the times require prudence and responsibility".
"The faster and more complete implementation of the protocols, regulations and procedures of the European Union," he said, "is the only way to limit further spread first of all and to overcome this situation as soon as possible."
At the same time, he appealed to all those involved to comply to the maximum extent with the biosecurity measures, which have already been announced by the competent services and the European Commission.
Assurances of financial support
He assured that the State will stand by the affected producers and units, saying that "the State will do what it must, will stand by the side of those affected and will provide full financial coverage and support, precisely so that there can be reactivation and to preserve a very important sector for the economy and our country, the primary sector".
As he noted, the conditions are critical and difficult decisions may be required.
According to the Government Spokesman, the decisions under consideration include the further strengthening of the vaccination program, in full coordination with the European Union.
At the same time, he said that measures that may be applied to units operating in areas that are not under the effective control of the Republic of Cyprus were also discussed.
"All the measures at our disposal are being considered for units operating in areas that are not under the effective control of the Republic," he said, adding that the competent services are in constant coordination with both the affected and the involved bodies.
Mr. Letympiotis made special reference to the contribution of private veterinarians, who, as he said, "have been working intensively in recent days for the implementation of the protocols and the implementation of the vaccination program".
"We want to publicly thank the private veterinarians who selflessly in the last many days have been making superhuman efforts to make the protocols and the vaccination program work at the fastest pace in very difficult conditions," he said.
Answering a question about the possibility of taking measures in units located in the occupied areas, the Government Spokesman noted that all possibilities are being examined, always in coordination with the European Union and taking into account the legal dimension of the issue.
"Measures are being considered not only in the occupied areas but also in general in areas that are not under the effective control of the Republic. The Republic of Cyprus continues in close coordination with the European Union and all those arrangements that can be made are being examined, in order to safeguard our units and of course all the procedures that we follow to the letter as a member state of the European Union", he said.
Finally, he stressed that measures will be taken that can be taken to control the content of the dispersion.
