Calls for joint action with Turkish Cypriots over FMD outbreak

The need for coordinated action with the Turkish Cypriot community to contain foot and mouth disease was raised on Tuesday during a meeting of the House agriculture committee, as officials warned that gaps in response across the island risk further outbreaks.

Agriculture minister Maria Panayiotou told the committee that engagement through the bicommunal technical committee is essential to ensure an effective response, saying there is a clear need for “a mutual approach to the problem”.

The issue dominated discussions among government representatives, MPs and agricultural organisations, with concern centred on the lack of alignment in measures between the government-controlled areas and the north.

Committee chairman Yiannakis Gavriel said earlier coordination could have altered the course of the outbreak, arguing there should have been communication with the Turkish Cypriot side as early as December 2025 when cases first emerged.

He warned that without parallel action, “there will be a new infection even after the virus has been treated”.

Questions were raised over the handling of the outbreak and the timing of interventions, including why vaccinations were not introduced earlier in the government-controlled areas.

Panayiotou said decisions are taken in line with strict protocols, while veterinary services director, Christodoulos Pipis, explained that vaccinations could only begin after cases were officially identified within areas under the republic’s authority.

Pipis said authorities are seeking alignment with European standards, adding that the aim is “to create a joint committee for the management of veterinary issues on the basis of the EU directive”.

He stressed that state services cannot operate in the north and can only report confirmed cases to European and international bodies to trigger response mechanisms.

He also highlighted structural challenges, saying EU law is not applied in those areas and that even European officials face difficulties accessing them.

While vaccines have been provided to Turkish Cypriot farmers through EU support, he said there is no equivalent framework for culling or compensation, creating inconsistencies in how the outbreak is managed.

The discussion also turned to surveillance along the Green Line, with agricultural representatives warning of insufficient controls and citing reports of unauthorised movements of livestock feed shortly before new cases were detected.

MPs called for stricter enforcement, with Disy MP Kyriakos Hadjiyiannis stressing that penalties must act as a deterrent.

Panayiotou said there is political will to revise the legislative framework, while acknowledging that enforcement responsibilities also involve police and customs authorities.

Agricultural organisations broadly welcomed the government’s support measures for affected farmers but warned that the risk remains unless the disease is addressed comprehensively across the island.

Several participants pointed to the political dimension of the issue, calling for initiatives at presidential and European level to facilitate cooperation.

The government aims to complete vaccinations by the end of March as efforts continue to contain the spread of the disease.