Cyprus is battling foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks. / Donal O'Leary
ADVERTISEMENT
The European Commission has shipped 500,000 foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) serotype SAT1 vaccines out of the EU’s vaccine bank to the Republic of Cyprus.
The move comes as Brussels warned that this serotype of the FMD virus is “rapidly spreading in the EU neighbourhood and poses a risk of rapid spread where herd immunity is inexistent or insufficient”.
The vaccines are to be deployed to areas of the island of Cyprus in which the government of the Republic of Cyprus does not exercise effective control.
ADVERTISEMENT
Lapathos, a village on the northeastern side of the island, has experienced three FMD outbreaks in livestock since December 2025.
There have been 31 cases of the virus reported in cattle and sheep across three separate farms that have a total of 3,584 susceptible animals present on them.
Measures put in place by authorities in the region include the imposition of quarantines, restrictions on animal movements and disinfection protocols as part of the biosecurity effort to contain the outbreaks.
Register for free to read this story and our free stories.
This content is available to digital subscribers and loyalty code users only. Sign in to your account, use the code or subscribe to get unlimited access.
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
CODE ACCEPTED
You have full access to the site until next Wednesday at 9pm.
CODE NOT VALID
Please try again or contact support.
The European Commission has shipped 500,000 foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) serotype SAT1 vaccines out of the EU’s vaccine bank to the Republic of Cyprus.
The move comes as Brussels warned that this serotype of the FMD virus is “rapidly spreading in the EU neighbourhood and poses a risk of rapid spread where herd immunity is inexistent or insufficient”.
The vaccines are to be deployed to areas of the island of Cyprus in which the government of the Republic of Cyprus does not exercise effective control.
Lapathos, a village on the northeastern side of the island, has experienced three FMD outbreaks in livestock since December 2025.
There have been 31 cases of the virus reported in cattle and sheep across three separate farms that have a total of 3,584 susceptible animals present on them.
Measures put in place by authorities in the region include the imposition of quarantines, restrictions on animal movements and disinfection protocols as part of the biosecurity effort to contain the outbreaks.
If you would like to speak to a member of our team, please call us on 01-4199525.
Link sent to your email address
We have sent an email to your address. Please click on the link in this email to reset your password. If you can't find it in your inbox, please check your spam folder. If you can't find the email, please call us on 01-4199525.
ENTER YOUR LOYALTY CODE:
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
SHARING OPTIONS