Christodoulides promises to ‘stand by’ farmers amid foot and mouth outbreak

President Nikos Christodoulides on Sunday promised to “stand by” farmers impacted by the ongoing outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the Larnaca district, following a meeting with stakeholders at the presidential palace.

“In the midst of this difficult regional situation which we have to manage, I decided to convene this meeting today. This is indicative the importance we attribute to this situation, which is both difficult for you, and difficult for us,” he said.

He then added that the government is “by your side” and that “we fully understand the importance of the [agricultural] sector, not only for the country’s domestic market, but also for exports, and many other sectors”.

As such, he said that he wishes to “jointly define the strategy that we will follow” to battle the outbreak.

Thousands of animals have been culled since the outbreak was first detected in the Larnaca district, with recent indications showing that the disease has spread to farms both east and west of the town itself.

Cabinet had on Thursday approved an advance payment of €50,000 per livestock unit for farmers impacted by the disease, with more financial support for farmers expected to be provided in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, vaccines for pigs arrived from Germany on Saturday, with vaccines for cows having been provided by the Turkish Cypriot authorities last month.