Farmers demand end to mass slaughter of healthy animals and push for nationwide vaccination

A nationwide vaccination campaign against foot-and-mouth disease is intensifying across Cyprus as agricultural organizations meet with President Nikos Christodoulides today to demand changes to the current strategy for tackling the outbreak.

The vaccination drive, launched on Friday, continued throughout yesterday with teams operating simultaneously in all districts. According to Senior Veterinary Officer and spokesperson for the Cyprus Veterinary Services, Sotiria Georgiadou, the effort is part of a coordinated campaign to immunize livestock across the island.

At the same time, authorities are completing vaccinations within the 10-kilometre restriction zone around the livestock area of the Larnaca district, where cases of the disease were detected. The area’s high concentration of farms means officials cannot rule out additional infections, although no new positive cases had been confirmed as of yesterday.

Priority is currently being given to vaccinating cattle and sheep and goats located around pig farms, before extending the campaign to the rest of the sheep and goat population. The programme is being carried out in cooperation with private veterinarians.

Vaccines for pigs have been ordered from Germany and are expected to arrive once procurement procedures are finalized.

Authorities aim to vaccinate the entire livestock population in Cyprus, estimated at around 85,000 cattle and 470,000 sheep and goats, as part of efforts to contain the disease within the affected area.

Farmers meet President today

The vaccination campaign comes as farmers and agricultural organizations gather today at the Presidential Palace to discuss the crisis and press for changes to the government’s approach.

The meeting, scheduled for 10:30 a.m., brings together cattle, sheep, goat and pig farming associations, the cheese-makers’ association, the Pancyprian Veterinary Association, the Veterinary Services and several agricultural organizations.

A key demand expected to be raised concerns the current policy of mass culling animals in affected areas. Agricultural groups argue that healthy animals should not be killed and that vaccination should instead be the primary tool for managing the disease.

Tasos Yiapanis, General Secretary of Pangrotikos, said farmers will ask the government to immediately stop the “total culling” policy and instead adopt universal vaccination across the island.

“We demand vaccination of all animals in Cyprus, and that culling be limited only to animals showing clinical symptoms,” he said.

Farmers have warned that if their demands are not met, protests could escalate. A demonstration is expected today and, if necessary, farmers say they will mobilize daily from tomorrow until their demands are addressed.

Concerns over the occupied areas and EU oversight

Another issue expected to dominate today’s meeting is the management of the disease in the occupied areas of the island.

Nikos Papakyriakou, Director General of the Pancyprian Cattle Breeders Organization, said farmers will call for greater oversight from the European Union over how funds allocated to combat animal diseases in the occupied areas are being used.

The EU has been financing such programmes since 2021, but Papakyriakou questioned whether sufficient monitoring exists regarding how those funds are spent and what measures are actually being implemented.

“You cannot finance something and not know where the money goes or what actions are taken,” he said, adding that the origins of the current outbreak must be investigated.

Farmers are also urging the EU to establish a coordination mechanism that would include both the Veterinary Services of the Republic of Cyprus and authorities in the de facto state in order to monitor efforts to eradicate the disease across the island.

Papakyriakou stressed that combating the outbreak requires a unified approach. “There cannot be two standards in Cyprus,” he said.

He also warned that the discovery of infected cows means the disease could spread to additional livestock units.

Concerns about oversight intensified after reports that European officials visiting the occupied areas in December were not allowed to take samples or visit farms and were instead briefed on the situation using photographs.

Tensions over animal culling

The issue of culling has already created tensions on the ground.

Yesterday, complications were reported during culling operations after livestock farmers obstructed the work of Veterinary Services teams. The incident has forced authorities to reconsider how field teams operate.

The Ministry of Agriculture remains in constant communication with the European Commission and has requested that mass culling be halted while possible adjustments to the management strategy are examined.

However, the European Commission has not yet changed its position, citing the seriousness and high contagiousness of foot-and-mouth disease.

Calls for a vaccination-focused strategy

Some farmer representatives argue that the disease may become a long-term reality for Cyprus.

Panicos Hambas, Secretary General of EKA, said the virus had likely arrived from Turkey through the occupied areas and warned that ongoing animal and feed movement from Turkey means the disease may persist.

Turkey itself manages the disease largely through vaccination, he noted, suggesting Cyprus should seek a special exemption from the European Union that would allow a similar approach.

Farmers also raised concerns about the way culling is being carried out. Hambas said two farmers reported that an animal which had not received a sufficient euthanasia dose was allegedly killed using a chisel, an accusation he described as unacceptable if confirmed.

Meanwhile, Lambros Achilleos, president of Euroagrotiko, urged the government to prioritize the survival of the livestock sector.

“You cannot eliminate livestock farming in order to eliminate the virus,” he said.

Christos Papapetrou, president of PEK, added that European regulations often fail to take into account Cyprus’s unique circumstances as a partially occupied country, arguing that decisions should ultimately serve Cyprus’s interests.