Regional Governor of Thessaly Dimitris Kouretas announced the establishment of 17 disinfection stations across Thessaly starting Monday to combat the sheep and goat pox outbreak, speaking on Parapolitika 90.1. He highlighted the anxiety livestock farmers are experiencing over “how their herds will be rebuilt,” while regarding compensations, he emphasized that those covering animal feed are expected to be distributed by the end of September.
Sheep and goat pox: Kouretas’ interview on Parapolitika 90.1
Specifically, in an interview on the “On Air” show with journalist Niki Lyberaki on Parapolitika 90.1, Mr. Kouretas stated among other things:
D. KOURETAS: Livestock farming in Thessaly is the most important source of income, with approximately 1.8 million sheep and goats, of which about 100,000 have died – up to yesterday.
When asked what mistakes were made that caused the sheep and goat pox to reach such massive proportions
D. KOURETAS: Now that we see it in retrospect after a year, the testing that was being done – and is being done with us – should have been conducted much earlier so we could have prevented the outbreak, and also compensations should have been given to livestock farmers for animal feed because people had nothing to feed their animals with and took them outside, inevitably causing them to infect each other.
D. KOURETAS: Large-scale disinfection stations need to be established. We will expand from 6 to 17 stations across all regional units, or we will block all roads leading to livestock facilities. For us in Thessaly, this will operate Friday evening or Monday morning because it’s already happening to a smaller degree.
Regarding the livestock farmers’ protest demonstration outside the Region over the pox outbreak
D. KOURETAS: Compensations have been delayed because people lost their herds to the pox and have no income. They’re asking for compensations to come earlier, which is a fair request because someone who had 300 sheep and made a good income now has neither their herd nor produces milk – how will they survive? Livestock farmers have great anxiety about how their herds will be rebuilt because if Thessaly doesn’t clear the pox, with what we’re trying to do, they can’t bring in any new animals because if they get infected again it will become a ping-pong situation. What we did and will do now, and will be done throughout the country, is that a vehicle disinfection certificate will be issued for vehicles going to collect milk – without this, they won’t be able to collect milk.
Regarding compensations
D. KOURETAS: Compensations for animal feed are supposed to be given by the end of the month. As for compensations for animals affected by pox, I don’t know. Some announcement needs to be made by the ministry – we don’t have direct intervention in this.
