Greece Sheep and Goat Pox: Farmers' Despair

Farmers in regions of Greece affected by the sheep and goat pox epidemic are in complete despair: they still have not received compensation for the destroyed livestock.

Industry professionals say:

“The government doesn’t even allow us to vaccinate animals. Apparently 60,000 healthy, edible animals were buried.”

The problem became explosive, as farmers not only did not receive the money promised by the Ministry of Rural Development for epidemicbut did not see compensation for animals that drowned due to bad weather. They say:

“The Ministry did not accept us for consultation on how to solve this problem in violation of relevant European regulations, but in addition, all these animals are healthy and fit for consumption, and if a certified slaughterhouse were established, then 60,000 animals would be slaughtered due to the plague and smallpox could be sent to the market because there would be no risk and we would have no price increases, no market shortages, no imports.”

Farmers have already begun mobilizing and will hold protests in Larissa and Crete in the coming days, with the prospect of a nationwide uprising if the government does not heed their demands.

A serious complaint from professionals is also related to the reliability, or rather unreliability, of the RT-CPR test for diagnosing the disease in animals. It is 90% inaccurate, according to Romanian MPs in the European Parliament, meaning that 9 out of 10 cattle slaughtered for burial or cremation in Greece were probably healthy. Manufacturers state quotes newsbeast.gr:

“They are imposing extensive biosecurity measures on us, and the other day in the municipality of Nestos, an entire supposedly infected herd, sent for slaughter and disposal, passed through the village in trucks, like in a parade, without any security measures.”

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