An outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) has been detected in Cyprus, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
As a result, the CFIA implemented import restrictions on commodities from Cyprus "to safeguard the health of Canada’s livestock and mitigate the economic impact of a potential FMD outbreak in Canada."
The Agency provided the following list of species susceptible to FMD:
- Suidae (pigs, wild boar)
- Bovinae (cattle, bison, water buffalo)
- Caprinae (sheep, goats)
- Camelidae (llamas, alpacas, vicunas, guanacos, and Bactrian camels)
- Antilopinae (antelopes, gazelles, blackbucks, springboks, gerenuks, dibatags)
- Cervidae (deer, elk, moose, caribou, reindeer)
- Any cloven-hooved (two-toed) animals not listed above
- Insectivores (tenrecs, hedgehogs, shrews, moles)
- Elephants
- Giraffe and okapi
- Tapirs
- Hippopotami
- Xenarthra (anteaters, sloths, armadillos)
- Aardvarks
CFIA also posted a list of affected commodities from FMD susceptible species:
- Live animals and germplasm
- Uncooked meat and meat products
- Raw milk and milk products, including unpasteurized cheese
- Unprocessed manure
- Laboratory material
- Blood products
- Raw or unprocessed pet food
- Raw hides, skins, wool, antlers, horns, hooves
- Any other non-heat-treated products or byproducts from species named above
- Animal feed and equipment that have been in contact with affected animals
"Shipments of affected commodities originating from susceptible species originating from Cyprus must be accompanied by certification that they were collected or slaughtered prior to November 14, 2025, or else the signature date of the certificate must be prior to November 14, 2025." stated the CFIA news release.
The Agency also states, "products and by-products from affected species collected or slaughtered before the date of the critical monitoring period are eligible to enter Canada, but the date of slaughter or collection must appear in the documentation. If there is no date of slaughter or collection on the certificate, then the signature date of the certificate will be used."
Foot and Mouth Disease is a highly contagious viral disease that mainly affects cattle, swine and other cloven-hoofed animals except for horses. Symptoms include fever and blister-like sores on the tongue and lips, in the mouth, on the teats and between the hooves. According to the CFIA website, "many affected animals recover, but are left weakened and debilitated from FMD."
FMD can also have economic impact as the CFIA cites an outbreak in the United Kingdom in 2001 cost the equivalent of $16.5 billion CAD in today's dollars.
More information about the disease can be found here.
