A request for emergency financial support due to the foot-and-mouth crisis has been made to the agriculture minister from groups representing sheep and goat producers.

In a letter to minister Maria Panayiotou on Saturday, the association representing the producers said it fully recognised the necessity of taking strict measures to protect public and animal health, however, it added that the measures “has imposed an unbearable financial burden on producers, who are called upon to bear alone the cost of an emergency health situation that directly affects the viability of their units”.

The letter referred to the impacts of restrictions on animal movements and the prolonged delay in the availability of lambs and kids on the market, as well as the reduction in their selling price, “an event that further worsens the economic position of producers”.

Producers report that even in the event of a possible lifting of the grazing restriction, the increased feed costs may be mitigated, but will not be fully addressed.

In their letter, they request the immediate granting of extraordinary financial aid for all dairy sheep and goats, in order to cover the increase in feeding costs as long as the restrictive measures are in place, and payment of compensation for lambs and kids that remain on farms due to restrictions on movement and trade.

They also call for a comprehensive economic study to record the real impacts of the measures on the sheep and goat farming sector, and the implementation of a permanent mechanism to support producers in cases of animal diseases and emergency health crises.

“Failure to support producers in a timely manner may lead to serious and irreversible consequences for the sector, with loss of income, abandonment of units and weakening of domestic production,” the association said.