Thessaloniki: Damages from sheep pox exceed €350 million in 14 months

Losses from sheep pox successful sheep and goats are estimated astatine much than €350 cardinal implicit the past 14 months, with flocks decimated crossed the state and the endurance of thousands of livestock farmers present straight astatine risk. This was stressed successful comments to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA) by Dimitris Moschos, president of the Hellenic Livestock Association (SEK), who underlined that Greece’s carnal banal is shrinking dangerously.

According to Moschos, much than 300,000 animals person already been mislaid to sheep pox alone. Combined with losses from different livestock diseases, the aboriginal of the assemblage looks bleak. “Greek livestock farming is connected precocious alert. Delays successful making important decisions whitethorn pb to losses that tin nary longer beryllium reversed. Farmers are calling for enactment now, earlier it’s excessively late,” helium warned.

410,000 animals mislaid to livestock diseases

“Livestock farming is nary longer astatine a crossroads. It has already begun to collapse, and the illness is accelerating,” Moschos said, noting that the assemblage has been nether repeated blows successful caller years with nary extremity successful sight.

Beyond sheep pox, Greek livestock is besides nether unit from different diseases:

• 80,000 animals were mislaid successful summertime 2024 to peste des petits ruminants (PPR).
• 30,000 animals died from bluetongue disease, which Moschos said is not officially recorded and has present go endemic.

For bluetongue successful particular, helium noted that “farmers vaccinate their flocks themselves to support them. Nobody comes to assistance us.”

According to SEK data, Greece’s existent livestock colonisation is present estimated astatine 6 cardinal animals, portion the Ministry of Rural Development and Food places the fig astatine 7–8 million.

Where caller outbreaks are found

Thrace and Thessaly stay the hardest-hit regions, but the concern is worsening successful Western Greece, with Achaia present facing superior risk. At the aforesaid time, caller outbreaks are being reported successful Serres, Katerini, Imathia, and Thessaloniki, portion scattered cases look crossed the country. Authorities are moving to incorporate the spread.

Vaccination statement divides the sector

For Greek farmers, the solution is clear: vaccinate the livestock. However, the Agriculture Ministry has refused, citing imaginable impacts connected feta food exports, valued astatine €78 million. Moschos stressed that the EU has already made wide determination is nary nationalist wellness hazard arsenic agelong arsenic products are pasteurized. “The full superior assemblage cannot beryllium endangered conscionable for feta exports. The EU has already clarified that pasteurized products tin circulate freely,” helium said.

Brussels intervention: “Consider vaccination seriously”

In July, the European Commission sent an authoritative informing to the Greek government, noting that existing measures are not moving and urging stricter controls and superior information of wide vaccination.

According to Moschos, the EU Animal Health and Welfare Commission already has 500,000 vaccine doses available, and connected September 9 announced a tender for an further 4 cardinal doses to conscionable subordinate states’ needs.

SEK’s connection is clear: “Immediate governmental decisions, realistic measures, and courageousness are needed, different Greek livestock farming whitethorn ne'er retrieve from the daze of caller years.”

“Sheep pox does not infect humans”

Sheep pox poses nary menace to nationalist health, prof of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases astatine the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Spyros Kritas, told AMNA.

“The microorganism does not impact humans, nor does it stay successful the beverage oregon nutrient of sick animals,” helium emphasized, explaining that quality compartment receptors are incompatible with the virus, truthful corruption is impossible. Sheep pox is simply a highly contagious but strictly carnal disease, with terrible economical consequences for livestock farming, but nary for nationalist health.