The emergency financial support that will be provided from the state budget to livestock farmers who lost their animals due to smallpox in sheep and goats, which has reached pandemic proportions over the past few months, was announced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis himself.
Specifically, speaking on the “Syndeseis” program on ERTNews, Kyriakos Mitsotakis mentioned that there is a problem as the culling of animals due to smallpox coincided with the transition of OPEKEPE to AADE. He then committed that by the end of the year, immediate supplementary support will be provided to livestock farmers who lost animals due to sheep and goat smallpox. The funds, he clarified, will come from the state budget. “I fully understand the difficulty of the livestock farmer to rebuild their herd while not being paid at the same time,” he said characteristically.
Meanwhile, he clarified regarding farmers and the OPEKEPE issue that the goal is for farmers to receive basic support by the end of November, with a one-month delay compared to the usual period. “Real farmers and livestock breeders will benefit from the ongoing reform,” he emphasized.
Sheep and goat smallpox: Over 75,000 cullings in October
It should be noted at this point that October recorded a new monthly record in sheep and goat cullings due to smallpox. Specifically, according to an announcement from the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, the total number of animals that were culled exceeded 75,000, while since the crisis began in August 2024, the number reaches 403,925 sheep and goats. At the same time, inspections were intensified in areas with disease outbreaks, with cooperation between the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, Greek Police, and Regional authorities. From October 21 to 31, 2,711 on-site inspections were conducted in six Regions (Central, Eastern and Western Macedonia, Thessaly, Central and Western Greece). According to the announcement, 13 violations were identified and 8 arrests were made for violating biosecurity measures, based on article 285 of the Penal Code. Particular attention was given to the Central Macedonia Region and especially to Serres Prefecture, where 77 new cases were recorded. There, 533 inspections were conducted, resulting in two arrests.
