An alarm has been sounded by the veterinary and local authorities after the detection of a case of foot-and-mouth disease in a sheep and goat unit in the community of Pachna, in the province of Limassol, causing intense concern to livestock farmers and fears of a serious blow to livestock and the production of sheep and goat products in the area.
The unit, in which the case was detected, has 66 sheep and goats, while the competent services have already put the area under surveillance, carrying out extensive checks and sampling within a radius of three kilometers. At the same time, livestock farmers are anxiously monitoring the situation, as dozens of units with thousands of sheep and goats operate in the wider area, as well as cheese dairies based exclusively on the production of sheep and goat milk.
"A difficult day dawned for the wider area, because, as we have been informed, the first case was detected in a family pen with about 73 animals. The area has been cordoned off, there is a police presence and no one can approach. Today, five crews of the Limassol Veterinary Services are in the area, which are carrying out checks on the paddocks, while a blockade has been imposed within a radius of 3 kilometers. In two to three days we will know what is happening in the other units," said the president of the community of Pachna, Andreas Savvas, in his statements to journalists.
As he mentioned, unlike other areas where there are organized livestock zones, in Pachna the units are scattered, which creates cautious optimism that the spread of the disease may be prevented.
"Here the paddocks are not next to each other. They are more isolated and I hope we avoid generalization, because otherwise everything will be destroyed. The fact that this unit is located in a remote location and has a small number of animals, gives us hope," he said characteristically.
Mr. Savvas also pointed out that the competent services are already looking for the appropriate place for the burial of the animals, a process that, as he said, requires the observance of strict standards. "We are all anxiously awaiting the next few hours and the results of the checks," he added.
"How the virus got from Nicosia to Pachna"
Farmer Kostas Salatas, who keeps about 1,000 sheep and goats in a unit located about one kilometer from the farm where the case was detected, also expressed his strong concern.
"The strange thing is that this paddock was found positive, because it is located in an isolated area. tThe frmer has around 70 animals, he makes halloumi himself and almost no one goes there. I don't know what measures have been taken by the Veterinary Services or how the virus got from Nicosia to Pachna," he said.
"We are very worried. It is our life. Within a radius of three kilometers there are 42 farms with about 15,000 sheep and goats. We are talking exclusively about sheep and goats." As he said, the Veterinary Services have already informed the breeders that sampling will be carried out in all units in the area.
“We have not yet been told anything specific. Five teams from the Limassol Veterinary Hospital have begun the checks and within the next two to three days the sampling is expected to be completed,” he noted. At the same time, he pointed out that the herds had been recently vaccinated.
“The second vaccination was done about a month ago and the other livestock farmers did the same,” he said.
It is noted that the three-kilometer surveillance zone covers the entire Pachna community as well as Prastio.
At the same time, it remains unknown how the specific unit was infected, with the competent authorities examining all possibilities. Among the scenarios under investigation is the possibility of transporting animal feed from Nicosia, without however, so far, there having been any confirmation.
According to the competent Ministry, a tracing process is expected to begin immediately, in order to determine the source of the infection and prevent further spread of the disease.
It is worth noting that eight dairies operate in the area, which process exclusively goat and sheep milk for the production of halloumi, yogurt, anari and other traditional products, which further intensifies the anxiety about the possible impacts on the local economy and production.
