The dead animals found in the Menikos area are being collected by the company that committed the violation, the Director of Veterinary Services, Christodoulos Pipis, told CNA, noting that administrative penalties will be imposed on the company, without ruling out the possibility of taking legal action.
Mr. Pipis said that these were dead pigs, which were found exposed in an area within the boundaries of the Menoikos Community, adding that some bodies were exposed to the environment, while others were partially covered with soil, which, as he explained, "indicates an intention to cover up the entire act."
Upon receiving this information, he continued, officers from the Veterinary Services and the Department of Environment went to the area to conduct an on-site investigation and found that these carcasses had been deposited in the specific area. This, he said, “constitutes a violation of the legislation in relation to the obligation of the person responsible for the livestock unit to ensure that animal by-products, namely animal carcasses and animal waste from its premises, are properly managed in accordance with the provisions of the regulation on the management of animal by-products.”
After this incident, said the Director of Veterinary Services, the contractor company, which has a contract with the state and collects animal by-products, was called in. "A company vehicle with a telescopic boom and excavator went there to uncover the remaining bodies, which were covered with soil, and to receive and transport them to its facilities so that they can receive proper management, as provided for by EU legislation for the processing and management of animal by-products," he added.
Responding to a question from CNA regarding the time when the dead animals were deposited in the area, Christodoulos Pipis noted that officers from the Department of Environment visited the specific area approximately twenty days ago and did not observe this type of situation, which means that it has occurred in the last 20 days or so.
"This leads us to the conclusion that this is not an animal disease," he pointed out, adding that the number of animal carcasses has not increased. At the same time, he noted that "the facility's authorities, instead of managing them as they should, according to the law, decided to take these illegal actions."
Referring to the sanctions that will be imposed on the contractor company, Mr. Pipis noted that "the collection and management of the animals will take place and the cost of this activity will be recovered by the state from the company's managers." He further stated that the imposition of any administrative penalties that need to be imposed or even any judicial measures taken against them will proceed, adding that the measures will be taken in consultation with the Department of Environment and will be notified to the violators at a later time once the process is completed.
"Administrative fines will be imposed. From there, depending on what is decided, the potential legal case will proceed through the Court's procedures and the service of any notices through the agents operating within the framework of the Court's Protocol," he concluded.
Source: KYPE
