Scenes that refer to a Wild West movie and not to a law-abiding state unfolded today in the area of Pachna, turning a planned and agreed sampling process for foot-and-mouth disease into a scene of absolute horror.
The effort of the Veterinary Services to shield the livestock farming of the area was met with the violent and extreme reaction of a portion of livestock breeders, causing intense concern and a storm of reactions.
According to information from Filenews, the program provided for inspections and sampling in five specific livestock premises in Pachna. For this process, there was an explicit and agreed prior consent of the breeders themselves from the previous day.
However, the situation quickly got out of control. In the first two premises, the sampling started in the morning and was completed smoothly, without problems.
In a third premises, although the owner had initially accepted the inspection, a group of protesting breeders gathered at the scene, cut off the road and prevented the Veterinary Services crew from approaching the farm.
Absolute terror was recorded on the next two farms. After the two female officials of the Veterinary Services completed taking the samples and attempted to leave, they found themselves trapped. Four double-cab vehicles blocked their way. The perpetrators, exercising physical violence and sowing terror in the two officers, snatched the keys to the official cars and then forcibly stole the samples taken, before disappearing.
This unprecedented incident has put the authorities on red alert, not only for the criminal part of the attack, but mainly for the catastrophic consequences that this attitude can have on the spread of the disease.
"As long as there is no cooperation on the part of the breeders, the virus will proceed uncontrollably. There is an immediate and serious risk, with such extreme behaviours, that livestock units will be filled with foot-and-mouth disease, leading the industry to absolute disaster", warn the Veterinary Services.
The competent authorities make it clear that the refusal of controls and the destruction of samples essentially "blind" the prevention mechanisms. If the virus escapes to the region, the consequences for the economy, domestic production and livestock farmers themselves will be irreversible, with the possibility of mass animal killings now more visible than ever.
The incident with the officials of the Veterinary Services is being investigated
The Limassol Police Director, Stelios Aristidou, in his statements stated that there was a complaint regarding the specific incident which is being investigated.
At the same time, he clarified that the Veterinary Services were not asked to be accompanied by the police authorities in today's sampling.
Specifically, he said: "A constructive meeting has been held with a delegation of livestock breeders, following the initiative of the Police and the President of the Pachna Community Council, which had very positive results. The positions of the breeders have been recorded, which will be transferred within the day, and a response is expected."
Regarding the incident with the veterinary officials, it was reported that there is a complaint which is under investigation. Asked to answer what exactly happened, he did not want to comment further.
When asked how the Police will proceed and whether they will proceed with relevant warrants, it was stated that it has an obligation to maintain law and order, while the effort is focused on solving the problem through dialogue. However, if and when it is decided that the procedure should be continued, it will proceed in accordance with the law.
