Brussels keeping an eye on sheep pox epidemic

A worker astatine the Regional Authority of Thessaly sprays a truck astatine 1 of 17 sanitation stations acceptable up to disinfect trucks coming to and from dairies and livestock farms successful the cardinal Greek region, successful a photograph from September 23. The authorities is hoping that such biosafety measures and culling, successful operation with the cooling weather, will suffice to stem the spread of the virus. [Giorgos Kydonas/InTime News]

The European Commission is keeping a adjacent oculus connected the sheep and goat pox epidemic successful Greece arsenic it continues to decimate the country’s flocks and threatens to spread beyond its borders.

In comments to Kathimerini, officials successful Brussels said that while measures such arsenic a prohibition connected the question of sheep and goats and a nationwide vaccination programme remainder wholly with the government, the Commission is urging enactment sooner alternatively than later, peculiarly aft outbreaks person besides been reported successful two much member-states recently, Bulgaria and Romania.

A prohibition is already being mulled by the Agricultural Development Ministry successful Athens. Given the devastating interaction it would person connected thousands of livestock farmers, however, officials person enactment disconnected a last determination successful the anticipation that measures adopted so far, successful operation with the cooler weather, will start paying disconnected soon.

The substance of a prohibition was brought up successful precocious September astatine a gathering betwixt Agricultural Development Minister Kostas Tsiaras and the EU’s nutrient information commissioner, Oliver Varhelyi, who described the situation successful Greece arsenic “worrying,” adding that vaccination would stop an escalation. 

Athens, for its part, has sought clarifications connected the vaccines’ efficacy and imaginable impact, noting that akin programs are not successful effect successful different affected countries, similar Bulgaria and Romania.

The European Commission sources clarify that the vaccines are approved by the EU, which is offering Greece some 400,000 doses, on with imaginable fiscal assistance should further supplies beryllium required. They adhd that technical-level discussions betwixt the two sides are ongoing, and that the applicable recommendations were made some clip ago.

At the aforesaid time, however, they admit that vaccination could pb to important restrictions connected dairy exports, including feta.