Nearly 82,000 animals culled, the army deployed and farmers protesting as Lesvos and Athens clash over the outbreak.

Tensions are climbing on the Greek island of Lesvos, where authorities cannot agree on how to contain foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks. Nearly 82,000 animals have been culled, the Greek army is being brought in, and local protests continue, Foodagribusiness.world reports.

Protests by local farmers and breeders were expected on Wednesday, when Greece’s deputy minister of rural development and food, Thanasis Kavvadas, visited the island to discuss managing the outbreaks.

FMD leads to political controversy

Efforts against the virus — which hits cattle, pigs, sheep and goats — took on a political edge when, on 27 August, Lesvos authorities stopped culling livestock on infected farms despite FMD protocols requiring it. 

In response to the „disobedience“, Athens sent in the national army to run all operational coordination. 

Greek farm outlet Agrotypos quoted Kavvadas: 

«We must all understand that there is a real battle here. This disease has enormous consequences for our livestock farming». 

Its high transmissibility, he said, leaves no room for delays, overlapping duties or mismatched speeds between services.

Per Agrotypos, the new structure covers transport of animals, carcasses and by-products, supervision of killings where needed, sanitary burial or cremation, the operation and security of relevant areas, disinfection of vehicles and facilities, and the roll-out of protection and surveillance zones — with an armed-forces officer to be named chief coordinator in each affected regional unit. 

Surveillance of Lesvos has reached 80%, with more than 3,115 farms examined.

FMD outbreaks on Lesvos

Outbreaks began on 15 March and spread quickly, mostly across the island’s northern half (70 km east to west, 45 km north to south). Most of the 192 infected farms keep cattle, sheep or goats, only a handful had pigs. 

According to the latest count by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), culls so far are:

  • Sheep: 54,245 head
  • Mixed sheep/goat herds: 26,635 head
  • Cattle: 761 head
  • Goats: 213 head
  • Swine: 72 head

That total is put at about 20% of the island’s entire livestock inventory.

€7.3 million in compensation

Kavvadas told the Greek parliament that around €7.3 million has been paid so far to compensate for culled animals and lost income. Further aid tied to animal feed, and compensation for spoiled milk, remain unresolved.

FMD in Cyprus

FMD also emerged on Cyprus this year, but the situation appears to have calmed over the summer, with the last outbreak reported in early June. 

More than 80,000 animals were culled across 121 outbreaks, including nearly 25,000 pigs at a few large swine farms, plus over 3,000 cattle, 1,200 goats and more than 26,000 animals in mixed sheep/goat herds.

Source: Foodagribusiness.world