Palaichori, Cyprus. President Nikos Christodoulides on Sunday denied that “chaos” is prevailing in the government’s handling of the ongoing outbreak of foot and mouth disease during a visit to a memorial service for Eoka fighters in the Troodos mountain village of Palaichori.
Government coordination and outlook
Christodoulides said there is no chaos and that the government is in contact with livestock farmers’ groups and agricultural organisations. He said there is willingness from all sides to cooperate further to address the outbreak.
He added that he believes the government will soon be able to say it has successfully dealt with foot and mouth disease, based on existing planning and continued cooperation.
Financial support for affected farmers
Christodoulides said the government has been by livestock farmers’ side since the beginning of the outbreak and referred to recent decisions to allocate compensation to farmers whose animals have been culled.
He said that compared with similar decisions at the European level, the government’s decisions are strong, describing them as financial support rather than compensation. He linked the support to responsible fiscal policy and said it reflects the importance the government places on the agricultural sector, describing Cyprus as an island and a remote country.
He said the government will stand by livestock farmers until the end and will work to revitalise the sector.
Protest threat and calls for a meeting
Accusations of “chaos” followed threats last week by a newly formed group calling itself the “voice of livestock breeders” to block the Rizoelia roundabout on Friday in protest at the government’s handling of the outbreak.
The group was eventually persuaded not to hold the protest, but its representative Stella Petrou continued to insist on a meeting with Christodoulides to discuss the crisis, with the group repeatedly stating its opposition to the culling of livestock.
What do you think should be prioritised in the government’s response to the outbreak?