Greece imposes restrictions to prevent the spread of the ‘goat plague’

Greece has recently banned the transportation of sheep and goats across the country in an attempt to contain a highly contagious infection, the “goat plague”.

preventing the spread of the Goat Plague

The agriculture ministry of Greece declared, “The movement of sheep and goats for breeding, fattening and slaughter is banned throughout Greece”.

First detected on July 11, in Thessaly, central Greece, this highly contagious virus, “peste de petits ruminants” (PPR), nicknamed the goat plague, quickly spread to affect several farms, going further south in Corinth and even spread to its neighbour Romania.

The virus can kill between 80 per cent to 100 per cent of infected animals, however, does not affect humans. 

Rapid spread calls for a mass culling

The rapid spread prompted authorities to cull more than 55,000 sheep and goats in response, as well as impose restrictions nationwide, including a ban on moving sheep and goats from their farms.

EU regulations state that the entire flock must be culled once a PPR case is confirmed, with the affected farm then disinfected.

A blow to Greece’s livestock industry

This virus is proving to be a significant threat to Greece’s domestic livestock industry and the country’s economy, preventing the production of Greece’s many popular international exports. 

Approximately 40 per cent of Greece’s soft cheese is derived from sheep and goat milk produced right in Thessaly.

Greece exports affected

This includes feta cheese, which Greece usually produces roughly 140,000 tonnes of annually, exporting 65 per cent of its production, making it a crucial export for Greece.

Thessaly’s 2023 storm Daniel floods

Thessaly also suffered from devastating floods, storm Daniel, last year, which dealt “a huge blow to livestock and agricultural production not only for the region but also for the whole country”, according to Unicef. 

Greece continues with its ban and investigation under EU regulations

The Greek agriculture ministry, in a statement on Monday, July 29, said the ban on sheep and goat movement was introduced “with the aim of limiting the spread and eradication of the disease”.

In response, on July 19 and 26, the EU executive adopted urgent procedures for Greece and Romania, aiming to restrict the movement of susceptible commodities to ensure that safe trade can continue while maintaining the EU’s sanitary standards.

Greece continues with its investigation to find the source of the goat plague, not ruling out ‘suspicious imports’ from abroad.