Fourteen months since the initial outbreak of sheeppox in Greece, more than 300,000 sheep and goat livestock has been lost, costing the industry an estimated 350 million euro and bringing stock-breeders to dispair.
The sheeppox virus, which doesn’t spread to humans in any way and doesn’t pass in the animals’ milk on meat, is decimating flocks across the country.
A 10-day plan announced on Monday called on breeders to tighten biosecurity measures for their flocks, veterinarians to step up on-site inspections at farms and local authorities to set up disinfection points to control the movement of flocks across the country
However, authorities are warning of a possible nationwide ban on the movement of goats and sheep if the spread of the illness is still not contained.
“This would mean a freeze on trade. They will not deliver milk, they will not deliver meat, there will be no slaughters across the country,” Deputy Agriculture Minister Christos Kellas told public broadcaster ERT on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, there is disagreement between breeders and authorities about flock vaccinations, which farmers see as the only exit from the crisis, but the competent ministry regards as a threat to the country’s feta cheese exports.
Existence of Greek stock-breeding at threat
More than 260,000 sheep and goats were culled and some 1,100 farms across Greece were forced to shut in the 12 months to August as sheeppox spirals out of control, data from the agriculture ministry showed.
Dimitris Moschos, President of the Greek Stock-breeders Association (SEK) tells AMNA that the number of sheep and goats lost from this virus only is closer to 300,000, climbing to 410,000 if we add those lost to other animal diseases in the past 14 months.
The number accounts for beyong two percent of the country’s active livestock of 8 million, according to the ministry, or 6-7 million, according to SEK.
Greek authorities deny stock-breeders the sheeppox vaccination of flocks
Early on during the outbreak, stock-breeders have requested the comprehensive vaccination of flocks against smallpox, which the competent ministry of Agricultural Development has denied on the grounds that the vaccination does not make the animals immune to the virus, while it might also threaten the volume of feta cheese exports.
At the moment, they argue, no other EU country has implemented sheeppox vaccination, and such measure could affect the sales of Greek feta cheese abroad.
On the other hand, livestock breeders say that if vaccinations do not roll out immediately, the consequences will be irrevocable. The European Commission, Moschos says, has not only already clarified that there is no public health concern from vaccinated animal products as long as the products are pasteurized, but the bloc has also warned the Greek authorities to scale up animal health checks and consider sheeppox vaccination across the country.
“The entire primary sector cannot be at risk just for feta exports,” he pleads.
“Immediate political decisions, realistic measures and courage are needed, otherwise Greek livestock farming risks never recovering from the shock of recent years,” the stock-breeder concludes.
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