Chickens slaughtered after salmonella found on Paphos farm

Almost 2,000 chickens have been killed in Paphos after the salmonella virus was found in eggs on a farm.

The Veterinary Services will announce Wednesday whether the remaining chickens will need to be slaughtered too. Authorities have so far slaughtered around 1,800.
The poultry farm is separated into two structures, each housing around 1,800 chickens. The salmonella virus was discovered in eggs originating from one of them.
The veterinary services are waiting the test results of the eggs from the second structure, to decide on whether there is a need to slaughter all the chickens.
“It’s a common occurrence for us. We discover the salmonella virus in farms and products two maybe three times a year. This is the system doing what it was supposed to do. We tested the product during routine checks, found the virus, and eliminated the threat. End of story”, deputy head of the veterinary services Andreas Papaeftathiou said, saying the issue had been blown out of proportion by the media.
Papaefstathiou added that the problem is not with poultry farms, who he said are tested regularly, but with people in rural areas keeping chicken coops at home. “These are out of our control and people don’t realise how easy it is for eggs to be infected with the virus,” Papaefstathiou said.
The poultry farmer whose chickens were slaughtered will be fully compensated. Fifty per cent of the compensation cost will be covered by the EU.
The Cyprus consumers union issued a statement yesterday, criticising the veterinary services for not releasing the name of the chicken farmer. “Protecting poultry farmers is not the state’s job. Their concern should be to protect consumers by informing them. They left the public, especially little children, unprotected,” the statement said.