The Pancyprian veterinary association denounced the agriculture ministry’s plan to reopen old public veterinary clinics for stray cat sterilisations in a statement released on Tuesday.

Presented last week to the House environment committee, the proposal for one clinic per city was called “a serious setback and distortion of the modern scientific and institutional approach” that risks undermining effective stray animal control.

The association criticised the plan as inadequate for tackling the scale of the problem affecting hundreds of thousands of animals. It warned that reopening clinics would demand costly infrastructure, equipment, and staff, with no guarantee of success.

They also raised legal concerns, saying the move could breach EU rules by unfairly competing with private veterinary practices, potentially leading to appeals and sanctions.

Instead, the veterinary association has proposed a strategic plan based on cooperation with all private veterinary clinics, ensuring easier access, improved geographical coverage and building on the existing programme, with immediate implementation possible.