Farmers on the eastern Aegean Sea island of Lesvos, who are struggling to cope with a deadly livestock disease, on Tuesday prevented hundreds of travelers from boarding an outward-bound ferry to protest the government’s handling of the epidemic.
State ERT television reported that farmers blockaded the entrance to the port of Mylilini, allowing only conscripts serving their obligatory military service and people traveling for health reasons to enter a ship heading for Chios and Piraeus.
As a result, about 100 people got on the ferry, while another 700, with 110 vehicles and 30 motorcycles were kept ashore.
Lesvos is the center of a foot-and-mouth disease epidemic that broke out in mid-March and has resulted in a strict program of culling and bans on the export of farm animals and dairy products, as authorities try to stop the disease from spreading.
Foot-and-mouth is deadly to livestock but does not affect humans.