Over 150.000 chickens will be destroyed on several farms after they were diagnosed with the deadly Newcastle disease virus, NDV.
The NDV was established in three chicken farms in the Mammari area, 20 kilometers west of Nicosia, which have been placed under quarantine.
A death rate of almost 100 percent can occur in contaminated poultry flocks.
The virus can spread very quickly over a wide area and for this reason the veterinary services have set a three-kilometer wide quarantine zone around the Mammari area.
Workers are disinfecting all cars moving in and out the quarantine zone.
They have also mapped out an additional supervision zone 10 kilometers wide.
Agriculture Minister Nikos Kouyialis said the disease does not affect humans.
He said an investigation is under way to determine the source of the contamination and promised state compensation to affected farmers.
CYBC
