The discovery of the foot-and-mouth virus in a pig unit is changing the situation in Cyprus, raising new concerns about how foot-and-mouth disease may develop.
So far, 84 units of mostly sheep and goat have been infected on the island, with 63 in the Larnaca district and 21 in the Nicosia district. On Wednesday, five more affected units were identified, and cases were also found in a pig farm with 4,000 pigs in the Palaiometocho area.
“It was not something we expected, the detection of a case in a pig farm, and it was something we were hoping to avoid,” said Petros Kailas, President of the Pancyprian Association of Pig Breeders.
He said that after hearing reports in the media, he contacted the owner, who stated that the affected farmer had not yet been officially informed. “His son called the veterinary clinic, but they had not notified him, so he called himself to find out.” The sample testing to confirm the presence of the virus was initiated by the owner, who became suspicious when some of his animals died.
Kailas said a full count of the animals will be conducted, and further actions from authorities are expected: “In the coming days the animals will be culled.”