Dialogos

Foot and Mouth Disease: Warnings Ignored – Two Unanswered Letters to the President

Published March 16, 2026, 08:02
Foot and Mouth Disease: Warnings Ignored – Two Unanswered Letters to the President

The president of the parliamentary agriculture committee, Giannakis Gavriel, accused the government of delaying decisions regarding foot and mouth disease, stating that it was aware since December of the upcoming EU decision to cull animals in infected units. He also highlighted the government's failure to respond to requests for financial assistance to affected livestock farmers, mentioning two letters from the AKEL General Secretary to the President of the Republic that went unanswered. Mr. Gavriel pointed out that the state allocates significant funds to combat diseases in the pseudo-state, without any control over the final destination of the money. He concluded by calling for the immediate preparation of an action plan and the provision of adequate compensation to farmers to enable them to resume their activities.