There are now 35 cases of the plague of small ruminants after new results of the controls carried out by the competent cooperation of the YPAAT.

According to data from the HYPAAT, new cases were detected in livestock units in Bartholomew and Nemounda of Ilia and in Vonitsa.

The results of the samples from the livestock breeding unit of Komotini are also awaited, with the first clinical indications being positive.

To date, cases have been identified in 35 farms throughout Greece. According to official data, the animals that have been killed so far amount to 13 thousandbut understandably that number is expected to increase.

Earlier in a press conference, the Minister of Rural Development and Food, Kostas Tsiaras had presented five measures to deal with the plague.

In particular, the measures announced are the following:

  1. The restrictive measures for the transport and slaughter of animals, which expire next Sunday, are being extended for an additional week.
  2. In a letter to the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers, he will request that the issue of plague of small ruminants be discussed at the upcoming September Council of Ministers, both for joint measures to protect our livestock, and to consider additional possible solutions to the question of the economic consequences of the plague.
  3. With the actions of the General Secretariat of Rural Development and Food, two (2) additional veterinary laboratories will be activated that will contribute to the analyzes of samples given the increase in the regions that have a confirmed case.
  4. It was decided to set up a committee of experts, with the aim of analyzing the epidemiological study and identifying the omissions or illegal acts that led to the outbreak of the disease. The committee’s results will be forwarded to the Larissa prosecutor who has started a preliminary investigation, so that, if any responsibilities arise, they can be assigned.
  5. With the completion of the operation to limit and eradicate the plague, the entire livestock operation model will be re-planned. All methods and ways will be sought to cover as much as possible the organic gaps of the country’s veterinary services and the model will be redesigned to limit the chances of similar phenomena repeating.