Greek Livestock and Related Sectors Threatened by Sheeppox

4 days ago 25

Losses exceeding €350 cardinal spot Greek livestock farming face-to-face with 1 of the top crises of caller decades. More than 300,000 animals person been mislaid to sheeppox alone, according to Dimitris Moschos, president of the Hellenic Livestock Association (SEK), with the total fig of losses from carnal diseases reaching 410,000.

New outbreaks crossed the country

Thrace and Thessaly stay the hardest hit, but the situation is besides worsening successful Western Greece, with Achaia astatine superior risk. Cases are present appearing successful Serres, Katerini, Imathia and Thessaloniki, while scattered outbreaks are being detected successful galore areas.

The vaccination that divides

Farmers are calling for universal vaccination, considering it the lone solution. The Ministry of Rural Development, however, is opposed, arguing that vaccination would endanger feta exports, valued astatine implicit €1 cardinal annually.

SEK, connected the different hand, points retired that the EU has already clarified that pasteurized products tin circulate freely, with nary menace to nationalist health.

Intervention from Brussels

The European Commission warned the Greek authorities that existent measures are ineffective, urging it to earnestly see vaccination. Already 500,000 doses person been allocated, with a tender for an further 4 cardinal to screen subordinate states’ needs.

Fear for feta and experts’ objections

The Ministry of Rural Development insists that vaccination would jeopardize Greece’s status arsenic a “disease-free country,” with consequences that could past 8–10 years. It besides stresses that nary vaccine has been approved by EFSA, and that the indispensable DIVA δοκιμή (differentiating infected from vaccinated animals) is lacking.

Scientists warn that vaccination could pb to the slaughter of adjacent steadfast animals, since there would beryllium nary way to separate betwixt corruption and vaccination.