Cyprus plans gradual livestock reopening amid wider 12-year recovery scheme post foot-and-mouth outbreak

Cyprus’s Veterinary Services aim to reopen livestock holdings by December following foot-and-mouth disease containment, while unveiling a comprehensive €610 million, 12-year recovery plan to revitalise the sector and bolster exports.

Cyprus’s Veterinary Services are targeting November and December for the gradual reopening of livestock holdings hit by foot-and-mouth disease, according to Politis. The immediate work programme is due to finish by the end of September, when officials will complete the destruction of potentially contaminated material. That will be followed by a 40-day period in which so-called sentinel animals are introduced and tested twice. If they remain healthy and the surrounding area is declared virus-free, farms will be allowed to resume operations and restock from unaffected units.

The reopening timetable is only one part of a far wider reset for the sector. A special scientific committee chaired by Stavros Malas has proposed a 12-year reconstruction plan for 2027-2038, with a budget of about €610 million, according to reports in Cypriot media. The programme aims to relieve overcrowded livestock areas, improve animal health and environmental standards, and expand meat production.

The plan also carries a broader industrial logic: strengthening milk output, supporting halloumi exports and reducing the structural weaknesses exposed by the outbreak. Five farming organisations have already backed the proposal, while the government is expected to hold further talks before deciding how to proceed.

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