Five new cases of the deadly livestock disease sheep pox have been recorded in the second fortnight of April, authorities said Thursday, while a total 486,666 animals have been culled since the epidemic started.
The Rural Development ministry said 2,152 cases of sheep or goat pox have been recorded since August 2024. The disease is calling into question the future of traditional livestock breeding in Greece while threatening important feta cheese exports worth about €1 billion a year.
The ministry has ruled out a vaccination campaign, which many farmers are pressing for, and insisted Thursday that full adherence to strict biosecurity measures is the only solution. Restrictions include a ban on the movement of herds in afflicted areas, even out of pens for the animals to graze.
It said that in the past six months 98 people have been arrested for breaking the rules – most of them since February.
Authorities are also fighting to contain an outbreak of the deadly foot-and-mouth livestock disease on the eastern Aegean Sea island of Lesvos.
Neither disease affects humans.