An unprecedented decision was made in Greece: The Ministry of National Defense receives operational control combating foot and mouth disease in regions where the epidemic is spreading.
The new amendment actually changes the crisis management system. In each regional unit where emergency measures against foot-and-mouth disease are in force, a Armed Forces officer as chief operational coordinator.
And we’re not just talking about Lesbos. The wording of the amendment applies to any regional unit of Greece affected by foot-and-mouth disease.
What exactly does the army get?
According to the text of the amendment, the Ministry of National Defense “assumes and carries out operational coordination” of all government services and organizations involved in the fight against the epizootic.
Particularly indicative wording is contained directly in the law: regional veterinary services, employees of the Ministry of Agriculture, decentralized administrations, port and customs authorities and other government agencies are obliged to cooperate with the Ministry of Defense and comply with its operational instructions.
The military coordinator will be able to direct actions related to the movement of animals, the destruction of infected herds, burial or disposal of carcasses, disinfection, control of protection and surveillance zones, and other measures.
Thus, talking only about “helping the army to veterinarians” is no longer enough. The armed forces receive operational leadership role.
Scientific decisions formally remain with the Ministry of Agriculture
The government emphasizes that the disease control strategy, diagnosis and scientific veterinary responsibility remain with the Ministry of Rural Development and relevant services.
However, in practice a new vertical arises: veterinarians determine what needs to be done, and the military coordinator organizes and controls execution.
It was this design that caused such a strong reaction in the Greek media, among veterinarians and farmers.
“This hasn’t happened since 1974”
The army takes control of the slaughter of sheep and goats throughout Greece!
The government is setting a precedent: today it sets up the Office for Combating Economic Crimes against livestock farmers, tomorrow it will be someone else. pic.twitter.com/PN2OFA53fA— Athens News (@russianathens) September 4, 2026
One of the harshest critics of the decision was the Chairman of the Central Macedonian Steering Committee of the Geotechnical Chamber of Greece Athanasios Saropoulos.
He said that such a system had not existed in the country since the restoration of democracy after 1974.
“For the first time since 1974, de facto military control has been introduced in the veterinary services.”
Saropoulos is particularly outraged by the fact that the law does not require the appointed officer to be a military veterinarian.
“The Chief of the General Staff proposes an army officer who becomes the head of each regional FMD unit and coordinates veterinary services. It doesn’t even say that it should be a military veterinarian.”
Why did the government take this step?
The reason is the extremely difficult situation in Lesbos.
According to Greek agricultural publications, about 85 thousand animalsthat is, about a fifth of the local population.
The crisis has been going on for several months, with farmers blaming the authorities for management failure, and the actions of veterinary services accompanied by protests and conflicts.
Athens News previously wrote about how Lesbos farmers stormed a regional council meeting, after which two officials resigned.
Therefore, the government’s decision can also be seen as an admission that the previous civilian coordination system is not coping.
Vaccination controversy
A separate conflict concerns animal vaccination.
Saropoulos and representatives of the veterinary community argue that the state should be much more active in using vaccinations instead of mass destruction of livestock.
An example is given in Cyprus, where a large-scale vaccination program against foot-and-mouth disease was actually launched in 2026.
Moreover, the situation is more complex than a simple opposition between “vaccination or extermination.” In infected farms, European regulations still require the destruction of diseased animals, and vaccination is primarily used to limit the further spread of infection.
Dangerous precedent or necessary measure
The main controversy now extends far beyond veterinary medicine.
Critics ask how acceptable it is to hand over actual operational control of civilian services to the military in peacetime.
The government, on the contrary, views the army as a structure capable of quickly providing discipline, logistics, transport, security and implementation of decisions in a situation where the conventional administrative system is overloaded.
Editorial comment
Here it is already difficult to talk about the exaggeration of one individual media outlet.
The topic received wide coverage on the largest Greek television channels and in the central press precisely because the amendment really creates a governance mechanism that is unusual for modern Greece.
Formally, the army does not receive the right to independently determine its veterinary strategy. But actually An officer of the Armed Forces becomes the head of the operational verticaland civil services are obliged to comply with the instructions of the Ministry of Defense.
This is much more than just sending military veterinarians or providing army vehicles.
You can understand the government’s logic: foot and mouth disease is spreading, tens of thousands of animals are being destroyed, farmers are protesting, and the usual management system is showing obvious problems.
But this is precisely why an unpleasant question arises: If the state has failed to resolve the civil crisis with civilian structures and is forced to transfer operational leadership to the army, what does this say about the state of the state apparatus itself?
And one more question that is now increasingly being asked in Greece: if such a model is once recognized as acceptable in animal husbandry, where is the limit of its application in the next emergency situations?
This is what makes the current amendment not just a veterinary measure, but political precedentthe consequences of which may be much wider than the current epidemic of foot and mouth disease.
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