Exclusion zone ordered amid foot-and-mouth fears

A THREE-KILOMETRE exclusion zone was ordered yesterday after the Veterinary Services discovered a flock of sheep in Dromolaxia showing signs of foot-and-mouth disease.

Samples have been sent to the European Laboratory for further examination and confirmation.

“The Veterinary Services of the Agriculture Ministry, within the framework of their systematic checks for various animal diseases, spotted on October 25 a specific group of sheep in Dromolaxia with a positive reaction to foot-and-mouth,” Agriculture Minister Fotis Fotiou announced yesterday.

In the meantime, the Services ordered the immediate implementation of restrictive measures at the affected farm, as well as three kilometres around it.

These measures will continue until the ministry receives a response from the European Laboratory this Wednesday and depending on the outcome, the necessary actions will be taken.

“At this current stage, I would like to assure the public that all the necessary measures are being taken and that there is no reason to panic,” Fotiou said.

Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious and sometimes fatal viral disease affecting cloven-hoofed animals.

An outbreak in the United Kingdom in 2001 saw more than 2,000 cases of the disease in farms throughout the British countryside.

Around seven million sheep and cattle were killed in an eventually successful attempt to halt the disease. By the time the disease was halted, the crisis was estimated to have cost Britain £8 billion in costs to the agricultural and agricultural support industries and to the outdoor industry

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