65,000 foot and mouth vaccines given in north

Preventive measures are crucial to avoid the further spread of foot and mouth disease, which has recently been detected in cattle the north, agricultural organisation Panagrotikos said on Monday.

“The responsibility and cooperation of all bodies is necessary to protect the animal population, animal production, public health and the income of our producers,” the organisation said.

Panagrotikos expressed fear over possible consequences of a spreading of the disease in the north, stressing it bred dangers not only for livestock farming and the agricultural economy, but for overall public food safety.

“Therefore, it is necessary to immediately intensify and coordinate preventive measures, especially for the surveillance of the green line,” Panagrotikos said.

The organisation called for governmental support do subsidise costs for additional medicines and infrastructure needed for livestock units, to ensure the preventive safety of their units.

The Turkish Cypriot veterinarians association on Monday said it had completed the first dose of vaccinations for 65,000 cattle in the north.

A total of 30 teams were mobilised to complete the vaccination process while the cattle are set to receive a second dose within the next 21 to 30 days.

The association warned that those who did not comply with the binding decision to vaccinate their cattle against the virus would bear legal responsibility.

The Turkish Cypriot veterinarians’ association reported a first outbreak of the disease at a farm in the Famagusta district village of Ayios Sergios in late December.

Soon after, Ankara’s Foot and Mouth Research Institute reported four further cases at a livestock unit in Lapithos.

So far, no outbreak has been confirmed in the bases or in the south, however, the Bases have since introduced precautionary disinfection measures at the Pergamos and Strovilia crossing points to reduce potential transmission.

The EU Commission’s veterinary emergency team arrived on the island in December to investigate the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the two livestock units.

Foot-and-mouth disease is a viral infection that affects cattle, pigs, goats and sheep. Infected animals usually recover but may lose weight and experience reduced milk and meat production.

Although highly contagious among animals, the disease is not harmful to humans.