A newly formed association of livestock farmers was announced on Wednesday, with the group seeking an immediate meeting with the president to press for changes in the handling of the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak.

The group, operating under the name “The Voice of Livestock Breeders”, said it aims to present “the serious issues that have arisen in the sector”, placing particular emphasis on the management of the disease and the impact of current containment measures.

Its spokesperson, Stella Petrou, confirmed the association was established on Tuesday evening and already counts around 95 members.

Among its core demands is the introduction of “an emergency vaccination strategy, where scientifically feasible, instead of the immediate killing of all animals”.

The association is further calling for “the exception and special protection of local and rare breeds”, describing them as “invaluable genetic wealth for Cyprus”.

The request comes as industry representatives warn the outbreak could take years to resolve.

The head of the pig farmers’ association said the country faces “a very long road” before it can be declared free of the virus, estimating that “in the best-case scenario, we still have 4–5 years ahead of us”.

According to veterinary authorities, new infections continue to emerge, with three additional cases recently detected in goat and sheep units in Athienou, bringing the total number of affected units to 108.

Officials attribute the rise partly to “intensive sampling”, while confirming that culling operations remain ongoing in affected districts.

The association is also seeking procedural changes, including “the establishment of a mandatory second laboratory test before any decision to kill” and the possibility of independent verification of results.

It further proposes “targeted isolation measures instead of the mass culling of entire herds, where possible”.

Financial concerns are also central to the group’s position, with calls for “full, fair and immediate compensation to affected livestock farmers, including for loss of income”, alongside demands for greater transparency in policy decisions.