Cyprus bars French livestock imports in new foot-and-mouth fears

THE GOVERNMENT has fallen into line with a two-week EU ban on imports of French cloven-hoofed livestock, in light of a confirmed outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in France.

Agriculture Minister Costas Themistocleous made the announcement, despite the fact that Cyprus has not imported any French livestock since August 2000.

The government has also banned milk and meat products from northwest France, where the outbreak was reported.

The United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia and South Korea have adopted a blanket ban on all EU meat and dairy products. Ther is no indication that Cyprus will follow suit.

“When we look at how the virus spreads, it’s very clear that every country is threatened,” the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation told Reuters.

“We will examine the situation and our director will talk to the director of the Office internationale des épizooties to get solid information. We have seen the media reports, but our decisions will be based on information from the OIE,” said senior veterinary officer Andreas Orphanides.

Two villages in western Turkey were quarantined yesterday following a fresh outbreak of the disease.

North Cyprus has not imported Turkish livestock for many years.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.