The veterinary services on Saturday closed 11 livestock units operating in the buffer zone in Pergamos over concerns of a further spreading of the foot-and-mouth disease.

Speaking to CyBC, director general of the agriculture ministry Andreas Gregoriou said that pausing the operations at the relevant units would remain in effect until necessary inspections and their findings are examined.

He said the authorities are currently trying to determine whether the farms are compliant with relevant legislation.

Although the farms are in the British bases and operated by Turkish Cypriots, the farmers have chosen to be registered by the Veterinary Services of the Republic, Gregoriou explained.

He added that livestock units operated by Turkish Cypriots that are not registered also seem to operate in the area and therefore there are concerns about possible contamination due to the proximity of registered and unregistered units.

The checks were made after a complaint was received that there may be mixing of milk from farms under the control of the Republic and those that are not, and milk is being moved in this way from the occupied areas to the free ones.

The affected units include eight dairy farms and three sheep farms, which have previously delivered milk to three dairies in the Republic

The deliveries were carried out under strict surveillance but due to the recent outbreak of foot and mouth on the island, the agriculture ministry has moved to close them.

Gregoriou clarified that so far no cases of the disease have been detected in the specific units. Nevertheless, the checks were deemed necessary and are expected to be completed in the coming days.