Farmers’ representatives have agreed to accept the culling of livestock on farms where foot and mouth disease has been detected, Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou said on Tuesday, following a meeting between farmers’ representatives and the government.

She announced the “immediate completion” of livestock culling, which was later clarified to mean that the culling of livestock would continue as European Union legislation dictates.

The announcement follows protests at a farm in Pachna village during which prevented veterinary services department staff from accessing it and potentially culling the livestock, which predicated last Friday’s protest at the presidential palace.

In addition to the announcement that culling will continue, Panayiotou also said that there will be an “increase in compensation” for sheep and goat farmers whose animals are culled as a result of outbreaks of the disease.

Compensation amounts already exceeded those initially foreseen by the EU’s maximum values on which it will agree to co-finance compensation for culled animals.

Prior to Tuesday’s meeting, the government’s position was to pay farmers between €43 and €178 per regular sheep and goat and between €47 and €420 per sheep and goat which is deemed to be of “high genetic value” as compensation if they are culled as a result of the disease.

Additionally, it was due to pay farmers between €150 and €1,500 per regular cow culled, with this figure rising to up to €2,500 for exceptional cattle.

The EU’s maximum values sit at €1,000 per cow and €140 per sheep, with the bloc financing 30 per cent of compensation payments up to that amount.

Now, the amount payable in Cyprus is set to rise further, with Panayiotou saying that the exact amounts will be determined “in the coming days”.

In addition, she said that increased fines will be levied on those found to be illegally moving livestock to and from the north. If cabinet accepts her proposal, on-the-spot fines of up to €100,000 could be issued, while courts will be empowered to issue fines ranging up to €250,000.

She also said that animals will be subject to two forms of test – the PCR test, familiar to most as the method of testing used on humans for Covid-19, and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, known as ‘Elisa’, which tests blood.

Test results, she said, will be evaluated by the epidemiological group formed to deal with the outbreak, with that group then tasked with “deciding on further utilisation of the methods”.

She went on to say that the nationwide vaccination campaign is “being rapidly completed”, with 84 per cent of cattle, 78 per cent of sheep and goats, and 41 per cent of pigs now having received a second dose of the vaccine.

Additionally, she said that the police and the National Guard will be deployed to ensure compliance with biosecurity measures, while the teams sent by the veterinary services department for sampling, vaccination and culling will be “separated”.

The epidemiological team, she said, will now meet at least once a week alongside representatives of the veterinary services department and of livestock farmers’ organisations.