Cyprus is facing a large outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. This is a very contagious illness for farm animals. Many animals on the island are sick. The government has started strict measures to stop the disease. This includes killing many animals. Some people want the Minister of Agriculture to resign. The European Union will give more help. A special group will visit Cyprus soon. They will look at the problem and plan how to help.
A farmer named Anastasis Zannettos spoke about the sad situation. He is helping other farmers share information. He said, "We are in mourning, we are grieving." Zannettos also said, "Larnaca no longer smells of spring. It smells of death and injustice." Many farmers feel very sad, hurt, and angry. Their work is badly affected by this disease.
To control the outbreak, authorities have killed over 7,000 animals. These animals were sick or could spread the disease. These actions are necessary to stop the virus. However, they also create big problems for farmers. The government said it follows all European Union rules. President Nikos Christodoulides spoke with Ursula von der Leyen. She is the President of the European Commission. They talked about more help and coordination.
Opposition parties are not happy with how the government is handling this. The AKEL party asked for the Minister of Agriculture to be fired. They think the minister was not careful. Annita Dimitriou from the Democratic Rally party also said this. She said, "Taking responsibility is not a choice; it’s an obligation." She believes the minister should resign. People are arguing about the government's actions. They say the government was not careful.
The Minister of Agriculture was also in the news before. There was a big fire in Limassol in July 2025. Some people think the minister might be moved from his job. This could happen in June. Cyprus will be in charge of the EU Council then.
Also, the Cyprus parliament is working on new laws for water. They voted on a bill this week. This bill allows changes to rules for making more water. This will help speed up new projects. These projects will increase the supply of drinking water. This is important for this year and the future.
EU Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi will visit Cyprus on Friday. This visit is important for talking directly. It will help get more support from Europe. His visit shows that the EU cares about this problem. The next few days will show if the government's plan works. It will also show the effect of the political arguments.