The areas reporting cases of the plague affecting small mammals are expanding beyond Thessaly. Following the identification of a case in K Corinth in recent days, another case was reported yesterday at a livestock facility in Aspropyrgos, Attica, which allegedly received animals from Romania.
The spread of the disease has gone beyond the borders of Thessaly, with cases in Corinth and in Aspropyrgos, Attica.
The extension of the movement and slaughter ban for small ruminants throughout Greece, imposed by the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, is an effort to control the spread of the plague among small ruminants and will cause disruption in the market, but “it is a necessary measure,” according to farmers. “Otherwise, we risk collapsing livestock farming,” said the president of SEK (Federation of Greek Farmers) Panagiotis Peveretos in an interview with ‘K’. Meanwhile, the Minister of Rural Development and Food Kostas Tsiaras decided to upgrade safety measures after a case of the plague was identified at a livestock unit in Mesino in the municipality of Sikionas in Corinthia. “The upgrade of safety measures is deemed necessary for the whole country for precautionary reasons and with the aim of limiting the spread and eradicating the disease,” the Ministry of Rural Development stated. Meanwhile, another case was identified in a livestock unit in Falani, Larissa. The two new cases in Corinthia and Falani were identified even before the animals showed symptoms through the tracing process carried out by the services of the Ministry of Rural Development in collaboration with local veterinary services since the first case was identified. The case in Aspropyrgos was confirmed through tests on symptomatic animals. As announced by the regional governor of Thessaly, Dimitris Koureta, by yesterday afternoon, 22 positive cases had been identified in Thessaly in the Regional Units of Larissa and Trikala. A total of 7,177 animals have already been euthanized, while the total number of animals to be euthanized is projected to reach 9,257 based on current data. Slaughterhouses in Thessaly will remain closed at least until August 2. The 10 km surveillance zone is also being extended to Achaia, as decided in a meeting held last Saturday in Corinth, during which more inspections in farms will be conducted.
Origin Unknown
However, three weeks after the first case was found, there is still no safe conclusion regarding the origin of the animals and their subsequent path in the country. According to information, it is likely that the animals were imported from Romania to be slaughtered immediately—thus requiring fewer checks—but some were eventually distributed to farms. It is worth noting that after the “Daniel” storm, during which many animals were drowned, there is a significant shortage of livestock, especially in Thessaly.
The president of SEK Panagiotis Peveretos emphasizes to ‘K’ that there are many gaps in the monitoring system for imports as an electronic recording system has yet to be adopted. “With handwritten shipping documents, many irregularities can occur,” Mr. Peveretos notes. At the same time, the decimation of veterinary services means that many animal deliveries “take place without the presence of veterinarians as required by law.”
SEK has requested that the judiciary be involved in the process so that the individuals who imported the animals can be called to testify, making it easier to trace their path and thus potentially identify the sources where new cases may appear. “We have the ability to implement many new tools and thus stop the Greekification, but for these steps to be taken, political will is required,” explains Mr. Peveretos.