"We stand by our livestock farmers and appeal again for the strict implementation of biosecurity measures to protect their units," the Veterinary Services said in a statement, regarding the memorandum delivered by the breeders, noting that "no personal information of the breeders who submitted it to us has been submitted to us".
Regarding the demand of a portion of livestock farmers for the immediate cessation of the implementation of the universal killing of animals in farms affected by Foot-and-mouth Disease, as well as the request for the application of selective killing only of clinically and laboratory-positive animals, the Veterinary Services refer to Article 12 of Regulation (EU) 2020/687 which explicitly states that:
'1. Following official confirmation of the outbreak of a category A disease in an establishment in accordance with Article 11, the competent authority shall order the immediate implementation, in addition to the measures provided for in Article 7, of the following disease control measures under the supervision of official veterinarians:
(A) all animals of listed species kept in the affected establishment shall be killed on the spot as soon as possible, within the establishment, in such a way as to avoid any possible risk of spreading the relevant category A disease agent, both at and after killing.'
"As has been repeatedly clarified and pointed out, it appears that this Regulation, which is mandatorily applied in its entirety by all Member States, does not provide any possibility of derogation. Therefore, universal slaughter is not an option, but a legal obligation, which applies to all farm animals and not only to those with clinical or laboratory positive findings," the Service states.
With regard to the invocation of the principle of proportionality and the need to take less onerous measures, the Veterinary Services note that "Foot-and-mouth disease is a category A disease. EU legislation, due to the seriousness and impact of these diseases, explicitly provides that for the purposes of protecting the public interest and the health status of the Member States, the management of a positive breeding in the event of a category A disease, is the total killing of its animals. Therefore, the principle of proportionality is already incorporated into the provisions of Regulation 2020/687."
Regarding the amount of compensation, the Service states that those livestock farmers who are beneficiaries and whose animals were killed before Easter, have already received an advance payment for loss of income, and compensation at 100% for milk and feed. The remaining beneficiaries whose animals have been killed after Easter will be paid within April. Regarding the 100% compensation for hay destruction, due to the fact that the destruction process is time-consuming, it has been separated from the other compensations and will be paid in the coming weeks.
For the cost of compensation per animal, the discussion is held within the framework of the Special Advisory Committee in accordance with the decision of the Council of Ministers, in which agricultural organizations and representatives of livestock breeders participate, on the basis of the market value of the animals. "The general issue of the reconstitution of the animal population is being examined in the Committee under Mr. Malas, with the participation of representatives of livestock breeders and agricultural organizations," the Service points out.
In relation to the laboratory investigation of samples by the ISO 17025 accredited laboratory of the Veterinary Services, which is characterized by a portion of breeders as illegal, as well as the request for investigation by private laboratories, the Veterinary Services point out that such a possibility is not provided for by EU legislation. "The procedure followed does not violate either the right to a fair trial or the right of defence. The above has been confirmed twice by the EU Commissioner for Health himself during his visits to Cyprus."
"Finally, we reiterate that we stand by our livestock farmers both for the management of the existing veterinary crisis and for the re-establishment of their farms. So far, a financial file of €28 million has been approved for compensation, the payment of which has been in progress since March," the announcement states.
"At the moment, it is important to avoid any actions that may contribute to the spread of the virus. Gatherings and participation in them of breeders with positive units significantly increase the risk of spread. We call on all livestock farmers to strictly implement biosecurity measures, which are the best shield for the protection of their units. Gatherings and refusal to implement the measures lead to the opposite result. Details of both the measures implemented and the payment methodologies can be found on www.footandmouth.gov.cy website", the Veterinary Services point out in closing their announcement.
