Compensation nearly complete for farms affected by foot-and-mouth outbreak

Nicosia, Cyprus. More than 100 livestock farms where animals were culled during the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak have received compensation, Agriculture Minister Christos Senekis said on Wednesday. Only a handful of cases remain outstanding, with the process expected to be completed in the coming days.

Compensation payments

Speaking to CyBC, Senekis said significant sums had been paid to affected farmers to help them gradually resume operations and compensate for a large part of the income lost because of the outbreak and subsequent animal culls.

Sector restructuring

Attention is now turning to rebuilding the livestock sector and strengthening its ability to withstand future outbreaks.

Senekis said the government was awaiting a study by the scientific committee headed by Stavros Malas on restructuring the sector. The aim is to allow livestock farming to fully resume on a more resilient and sustainable basis.

Biosecurity concerns

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, Dr Dimitris Epaminondas, a member of the epidemiological team and president of the Cyprus Veterinary Association, said the close proximity of livestock farms was among the key issues being examined, as it creates weaknesses in biosecurity.

“The plan has to do with the fact that one unit is practically on top of another, and this does not provide biosecurity,” he said.

Epaminondas said the location of livestock units would need to be reconsidered as part of the sector’s reconstruction.

“We need to reorganise how they are positioned. There has to be a protective wall, meaning vaccinations and safety measures,” he said.

He said prevention would need to play a central role in the new approach, particularly as changing climatic conditions increase the risk of animal diseases and their potential economic consequences.