Foot-and-mouth disease cases detected in rare Cypriot livestock breeds

Foot-and-mouth disease has been identified in livestock units in Dromolaxia, Larnaca, affecting rare Cypriot breeds, specifically the fat-tailed sheep and red cattle. According to farmer Kostas Mouskos, his farm houses 500 out of the total estimated 1,100 to 1,185 remaining fat-tailed sheep, which represent only 0.44% of the island's total sheep population. The owner has requested an exemption from the standard mandatory culling policy, citing the breed's genetic rarity and participation in a European conservation program monitored by the Cyprus University of Technology. Authorities are currently reviewing the situation under EU Regulation 2020/687, which allows for potential exceptions to mass culling for animals of high genetic and cultural value. The Department of Agriculture and Veterinary Services are evaluating the epidemiological risks versus the benefits of preserving these endangered breeds. A final decision on whether to proceed with culling or to grant an exemption remains pending. The situation is complicated by the presence of the virus in multiple units, including those housing the endangered red cattle breed.