It is impossible not to feel sympathy for the livestock farmers who are seeing everything they have worked for – their livelihoods – destroyed by foot and mouth disease. It is also understandable that they would be desperate to salvage something from the devastation caused to their farms by FMD. Violating the law, however, and preventing the authorities from following the FMD protocols is not acceptable. In fact, it is guaranteed to make a bad situation much worse.
On Friday, the head of the Veterinary Association, Demetris Epaminondas, said that vets would no longer carry out sampling of animals without police protection because of the threatening behaviour of farmers. In one incident, men broke into a livestock unit where sampling was taking place, took the sample bottles and forced the vets out of the unit, while threatening them. In another case, the vets’ car was blocked by pickup trucks, the keys were taken and sample bottles seized. Vets were told they would not be allowed to leave.
This was not all. On Thursday farmers blocked access to the units in Pachna – the virus has spread to the Limassol district – and prevented news photographers taking pictures. The livestock farmers also decided that infected animals at the unit would have to undergo a second test on Tuesday before they are culled. This is a farmers’ protocol that could undermine the ongoing efforts to contain the virus. The fact that it has spread to Pachna, which is some distance from Larnaca and Tseri where the first cases were recorded, suggests that the containment efforts did not work. The farmers had not helped with their protest gatherings, aimed at preventing implementation of the protocols.
Now, the government needs to get tough. It is obvious it does not want to be seen forcing the farmers, after the devastating blow they have been dealt, to obey the rules for tackling FMD, but there is no alternative. The gentle approach has been tried – the veterinary services have tried to reason with farmers explaining the need to follow EU protocols, the president has met their representatives and generous support measures announced.
The law must be enforced now. The police should take control, offering protection to vets during sampling, ensuring access to farming units, breaking up protest gatherings and ensuring all rules are respected. Getting tough might be unpopular, but the authorities have a duty to enforce the law and limit, to the extent possible, the spread of the virus. If the farmers are left to call the shots, there might be no livestock left in Cyprus. And there will be no milk to produce halloumi, the island’s main export.
We know it sounds harsh, but the only way to salvage something is by getting tough on the livestock farmers.
