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Nicosia Municipality Concerned Over Foot-and-Mouth Disease Proximity

Published February 24, 2026, 17:08
Nicosia Municipality Concerned Over Foot-and-Mouth Disease Proximity

The Mayor of South Nicosia, Stavros Hadjiyiannis, expressed concern over the municipality's proximity to villages where cases of foot-and-mouth disease have been recorded. The Municipality has already taken preventive measures in cooperation with local farmers, as it has four livestock areas with a total of 75 farms and approximately 40,000 animals. Mr. Hadjiyiannis called on the Department of Agriculture to take overall responsibility for dealing with the situation, as only one of the four livestock areas falls under its jurisdiction, while the others belong to the District Officer or the Municipality. He expressed the view that the Ministry of Agriculture would face enormous pressure if a case occurred in an area not under its responsibility. The Mayor stressed that there should be no distinction between livestock zones and that the Ministry should send a directive to cover all areas, while farmers are willing to pay the cost of preventive measures to speed up the procedures. He also stated that there has been no coordination with the Veterinary Services so far. He expressed fears that the spread of the disease is a matter of days, given the short distance from Aradippou and its proximity to the occupied territories. The Municipality has created a Viber group to coordinate farmers and has taken preventive measures within its area of responsibility.