Fate Of 3,500 Animals Hangs On FMD tests

CYPRUS - The owners of two livestock farms in Dromolaxia are awaiting the results of foot and mouth tests which will go a long way in deciding the fate of 3,500 animals.
calendar icon 14 November 2007
clock icon 2 minute read
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"Experts believed it would be better to confirm the cases before deciding whether to cull or not. We await the results today or tomorrow."

Agriculture Minister Fotis Fotiou

Agriculture Minister Fotis Fotiou yesterday said the veterinary service would announce the results by today at the latest. He noted that the number of suspected cases of foot and mouth at the two farms was very small in comparison to the total number of animals there. The farms are located within the three-kilometre exclusion zone.

All animals belonging to the first four farms in Dromolaxia where foot and mouth was first discovered were culled only after the tests were confirmed a second time. “So no animal was culled unnecessarily,” said Fotiou.

“We moved to the other two farms which were suspect and had come up positive [for foot and mouth]. Because there was a small number of suspected cases and a large number of animals, around 3,000 to 3,500, experts believed it would be better to confirm the cases before deciding whether to cull or not. We await the results today or tomorrow,” said the minister.

Fotiou assured livestock owners that if the veterinary service results show signs of infection, no decision would be taken on culling until the results were confirmed by the laboratory in London.

“A very important step is the fact that at the moment there have been no positive cases found within a 10km radius of the affected area,” he added.

Source: CyprusMail

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