Parliamentary committee discusses foot-and-mouth disease impact and compensation

The parliamentary Agriculture Committee met to discuss the ongoing impact of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Cyprus, which began on February 20. General Director of the Ministry of Agriculture, Andreas Grigoriou, reported that 80,133 animals have been culled across 121 infected farms, with 12,755,619 euros paid out in compensation to date. Although no new cases have been identified for one month, concerns persist regarding the restocking of herds, movement restrictions, and the final total of financial support. While the government is studying options for restocking through domestic herds or imports, the Farmers' Voice group has expressed concern that domestic sourcing carries a risk of further infection. A new decree issued on July 3 allows some controlled movement of animals, though general grazing prohibitions remain in place for biosecurity. Officials acknowledged that the source of the virus in Cyprus remains unidentified. A committee under Stavros Malas is expected to present a study on livestock reconstruction by the end of July.