Smallpox in sheep and goats: ‘Possible vaccination is an existential risk for feta’ say officials of the Ministry of Rural Development

The statement connected vaccination arsenic a means of dealing with sheep has travel backmost with a vengeance recently, arsenic the epizootic continues to plague the Greek livestock industry.

Since August 20, 2024, erstwhile the illness archetypal emerged, much than 275,000 sheep and goats person been killed, leaving down a concatenation of losses for producers and consumers.

“However, the vaccination enactment is not scientifically dependable either, nor a commercially viable solution, officials of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food archer the Athenian-Macedonian News Agency that, connected the contrary, “it poses superior risks that endanger the country’s flagship export: The PDO beef, but besides the full sheep and goat industry”.

They spell connected to say, “No EU state has implemented smallpox vaccination. So wherefore should Greece go the ‘guinea pig”? The reply is clear: it should not. The hazard is disproportionately greater than the benefit. Vaccination would beryllium a hasty governmental prime with immense costs for farmers, the economy, and the country’s planetary image.”

“Vaccination is not a solution; it is simply a trap.”

According to the aforesaid individuals, “the conflict against smallpox requires composure, technological evidence, and strategical insight. Vaccination is not a solution; it is simply a trap. Greece indispensable not sacrifice its feta and its livestock manufacture to a dubious experiment. The lone harmless mode is to proceed the eradication strategy, with strict adherence to the measures and decisive enactment for producers.”

The Director of the Animal Production & Environmental Protection Laboratory of the Department of Veterinary Medicine of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Georgios Arsenou,
echoes the aforesaid view.

Speaking to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, helium said, “For Europe, determination is nary vaccine. There are immoderate vaccines successful countries wherever the illness is endemic. But these person not received immoderate support from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). So, therefore, for Europe, these vaccines bash not exist.”

He added that “none of them person been thoroughly tested done coordinated and approved experiments, arsenic required by European legislation, to certify their safety, their reliability and their effects connected animals.”

The illustration of Turkey is typical. The neighbouring state has been implementing vaccinations for much than 10 years, but without immoderate results. Smallpox remains endemic, with imperishable harm to its livestock industry.

Regarding biosecurity measures, Arsenou noted that these are not implemented by those straight progressive with the farms and animals.

“The astir important stock of the work lies with the breeders and specialists, due to the fact that it is anthropogenic transmission from the animals and from the radical who transport the animals. There is nary tracking of who enters and who leaves the farms,” helium said, among different things.

Direct deed to feta exports and nonaccomplishment of “smallpox-free state status”

Speaking to APPE-MPA, the Ministry’s officials stressed that a imaginable vaccination of the country’s livestock would airs an contiguous hazard to exports of feta, a PDO merchandise worthy €1 cardinal a year, to cardinal markets. For 2024 alone, according to authoritative figures, exports amounted to €785 million.

Serbia has already banned the import of pig and sheep products from Greece owed to the epizootic. “With the vaccination, countries that bash not admit the rule of ‘regionalization’ volition adjacent the ‘door’ to Greek products,” they constituent out.

Our country, to date, remains successful “clean country” status. Vaccination, according to the aforesaid officials, “will upset this balance, starring to terrible restrictions connected exports. The restoration of the ‘free’ presumption requires 8-10 years, a play nary system tin afford.”

Apart from the questionable efficacy of a vaccine, the lack of a differentiation trial (DIVA) has besides been noted. This means that determination is nary reliable trial by which to separate whether an carnal has antibodies owed to illness oregon owed to vaccination. This means that immoderate affirmative illustration volition effect successful the slaughter of an full herd, adjacent if the animals are vaccinated.

They besides noted that the vaccine is not a substitute for eradication measures and culling, fumigation, question restrictions, sampling, and laboratory investigating stay unavoidable. “Vaccination simply adds bureaucracy and disorder without undoing the existing strategy,” they say.

Finally, to beryllium considered effective, vaccination would person to screen astatine slightest 75% of the sheep and goat population. This means millions of doses, immense costs, and further quality resources that bash not exist.