Newsroom
Cyprus is seeing early signs that its vaccination campaign against foot-and-mouth disease is working, with the spread of the virus now showing clear signs of slowing, a senior official said Thursday.
Stavros Malas, head of the Special Scientific Committee for the Reconstruction and Upgrade of the Livestock Sector, said the situation remains serious but stable and expressed cautious optimism that current containment levels could hold.
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency on the sidelines of an event at the Cyprus Institute, where he serves as president, Malas said vaccination efforts have made a real difference.
“The vaccination has worked, that much is clear,” he said. “The spread is no longer at the pace we saw in the early stages of the outbreak.”
He added that while the disease has not been fully eliminated in affected areas, authorities are now focused on completing full checks to understand where the outbreak ultimately stabilizes.
“We remain optimistic that we can keep things at current levels and eventually restart planning for full recovery,” he said.
Shift in Cyprus’ disease status
Malas warned, however, that the outbreak will leave a lasting impact on Cyprus’ livestock industry.
He said the country is moving toward a new long-term status, no longer officially free of foot-and-mouth disease but instead operating under a vaccination regime.
“That changes everything,” he said. “In the foreseeable future, Cyprus will be a country without active disease but under vaccination status.”
He explained that this shift could have trade consequences, including restrictions on exporting raw fresh meat, which would particularly affect the pig farming sector that has traditionally relied on export markets.
Concerns over rare animal breeds
Asked about rare livestock breeds affected by the disease, Malas said decisions rest entirely with veterinary authorities, though he acknowledged there may be limited flexibility depending on the case.
He said one infected unit could potentially influence how authorities act, especially when rare genetic lines are involved, but stressed that other unaffected units still exist.
“The concern is not that the breed will disappear,” he said. “The risk is losing genetic diversity within the breed.”
He added that the more surviving animals there are, the stronger and more sustainable the breed remains.
Message to farmers
Addressing tensions among livestock farmers, some of whom have been critical of government handling of the outbreak, Malas urged them to ignore what he called misinformation suggesting authorities are undermining the sector.
“The message is to turn a deaf ear to narratives that say we are trying to destroy livestock farming,” he said.
He insisted that science-based decisions are meant to support both small and large farmers, especially those in sheep and goat farming who need stronger technical backing.
Malas also confirmed he will meet on Saturday with a group of self-organizing farmers to discuss the situation.
“My commitment is to be fully transparent, to explain where we stand with the disease, and to answer all their concerns,” he said.
“We are standing with farmers, not against them.”
