Cyprus culling continues as more positive FMD tests come in

The Veterinary Services continued the culling of animals at two more local farms, which tested positive for foot and mouth disease (FMD), as part of efforts to eliminate the virus and its destructive consequences for the island’s farming sector and the economy.
Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment Fotis Fotiou stressed that the EU decision on the matter is that wherever contaminated animals are identified and these are confirmed, the entire flock must be culled.
Responding to questions regarding the farms where culling started today, Fotiou said that the Director of the EU Veterinary Services have said in a letter that there must be no delay in culling affected animals.
According to the Veterinary Services, so far tests were carried out on 4084 samples from 152 farms and culling took place at four farms, in a 3 km radius quarantine area around the village of Dromolaxia, on the southeast.
The culling at the biggest farm in Dromolaxia involves 1900 sheep and started around noon after the owner Kyriakos Kyriakou gave his consent, having been handed the results of the tests conducted by the European lab in London.
Kyriakou admitted that “the papers show that there is at least one incident of FMD”, adding that he is obliged to accept the slaughtering of his sheep.