September 9, 2013

Newcastle virus destroys entire poultry farm in Cyprus

After an outbreak of the Newcastle Virus (NDV), a poultry farm in Cyprus whose entire livestock was destroyed has warned that it could be forced to shut down.

The company, Pipis Farms, is facing very difficult conditions, which have forced it to suspend its operation and dismiss most of its staff.

Pipis, in an announcement to the stock market, said it planned to resume its operation at the end of October but it would be necessary to find the necessary cash.

"Unfortunately there are serious indications that the company will not be able to find the necessary capital to restart," it said.

The government has decided to compensate businesses that were hit by the outbreak, but the matter has not been cleared yet.

In mid-June, NDV, a contagious bird disease affecting wild and domestic avian species, was first found in three farms in Nicosia's Kokkinotrimithia farming zone.

Mostly in the Nicosia district poultry farms, about 50,000 chickens died from NDV, and a further 190,000 were culled as a precaution.