Farmers Threaten Airport Closure Over Foot-and-Mouth Disease in Cyprus

Farmers in Cyprus are protesting and threatening to close the airport, port, and Rizoelia area in response to mass culling of animals due to the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. The protest began outside the GSP stadium and moved towards the Ministry of Agriculture.

The farmers initially gathered outside the GSP and then marched to the Ministry of Agriculture, expressing their outrage over the situation. A representative of the farmers stated that if the culling does not stop, they will escalate their actions. "We demand the minister to stop the culling. We want an answer today. If she doesn't give us an answer today that they are stopping, we will close Rizoelia, the port, and the airport," he stated.

The farmers also alleged that animals from an infected area were transferred to a slaughterhouse and raised concerns about the vaccination and culling methods. They submitted a memorandum to the director of the Veterinary Services, Christodoulos Pippis, expressing their demands.

A woman participating in the protest stated, "On Tuesday, we are closing Rizoelia at 11:30 AM. We will freeze all the roads if we don't get a good answer and the culling doesn't stop."