More than four months after the first case of foot-and-mouth disease was recorded in the free areas of Cyprus, on February 20, 2026, and almost a month after the last case was detected in Mammari, on June 10, 2026, there is cautious optimism for the containment of the disease detected in 121 units.
During yesterday's session of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources, the general director of the Ministry of Agriculture, Andreas Grigoriou, referred to the evolution of the disease, the prevention measures, the sampling, as well as the extensive financial support package to the affected livestock breeders. The Government, through three decisions of the Council of Ministers, proceeded with a program of financial support for those affected. The total amount committed for the compensations amounts to €19,469,298. To date, €12,755,619 have already been paid to beneficiaries.
At the same time, it was reported that a pan-Cypriot epidemiological investigation in cattle, sheep and goats is underway, with strategic planning per province.
• Sampling from the province of Famagusta will start from the areas located at the eastern end of the province and will move towards the areas bordering or falling within 10 kilometers of the first cases of the province of Larnaca.
• Sampling from the province of Larnaca will start from the areas located on the western borders of the province and will move towards the areas bordering the 3 kilometers of cases of the same province.
• Sampling from the province of Nicosia will start from the areas located on the western and southern borders of the province and will move towards the areas bordering the 3 kilometers of cases of the same province.
• Sampling from the districts of Limassol and Paphos should start to be implemented starting from areas where the vaccination of animals has been completed.
For biosecurity reasons, sampling in pig farms is avoided, unless they fall within a zone of 3 km from a new case. A prerequisite for taking samples is that 30 days have elapsed since the second vaccination of the animals. Regarding the vaccination campaign, the completion rates of the scheme (1st and 2nd dose) are 87% for cattle, 67% for sheep and goats and 41% for pigs. On June 7, 500,000 doses of the "Aftovaxpur" preparation were received to cover the districts of Limassol and Paphos and for the 6-month booster vaccination. In addition, on July 19, 2026, another 500,000 doses of the "Aftopor" preparation, also suitable for pigs, are expected to be received.
The improvement of the epidemiological picture led the Ministry to issue the fifth Decree in a row (3/7/2026), which introduces targeted exemptions, allowing under strict veterinary conditions and permission, the movement of pigs, cattle and sheep and goats between farms, as well as the movement to fattening or collection units for slaughter. However, the basic prohibitions on grazing and the movement of agricultural equipment remain in full force.
The chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Yiannakis Gabriel, stated that "the absence of coordination and the failure to take corresponding deterrence measures in the occupied areas, maintains the concern that at any time we may have an outbreak of the disease again in other areas". He called on the Government to quickly complete the payment of the compensations that have already been decided and to include in the framework of the compensations the coverage of the increased costs resulting from the restrictive measures.
