Newsroom
Veterinary Services officials cancelled a planned visit to a farm in Pachna on Tuesday after being told that livestock farmers were reportedly blocking access to the site and that the situation had become tense, with claims of threats and people carrying “dangerous objects.”
According to reports aired by state broadcaster RIK, officials said they had received information that individuals were gathered inside or around a livestock pen and were refusing entry to the farm. Some officials also expressed concern for their safety, saying their physical integrity, and even their lives, could be at risk.
Authorities stressed that no animal culling was scheduled for the day but said other routine veterinary work was due to take place at the farm.
The situation comes amid ongoing uncertainty over possible foot-and-mouth disease cases, with re-examination results from the Pachna farm still pending.
Veterinary services have asked police to take over the situation, which officials described as chaotic.
For many in rural Cyprus, livestock farming is not just a business but a family livelihood, often passed down through generations. That makes any suspicion of disease, and especially the possibility of animal culling, highly emotional and deeply stressful for farmers who fear losing their animals and income overnight.
Speaking to RIK, livestock farmers’ representative Stella Petrou said the farm owner had been informed that animals might be culled, prompting people to gather at the site since Monday evening to try to prevent any action from being taken.
She said tensions escalated after word spread, with residents remaining on site to block access.
As police now prepare to step in, the incident highlights the fragile balance between public health measures and the fears of farming communities whose livelihoods depend on the outcome of veterinary decisions.
