A ‘goat plague’ has engulfed Greece after new infections were detected over the weekend.
Authorities have banned the movement of all goats and sheep from their farms to combat the deadly outbreak of Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR).
Minister of agriculture and rural development, Costas Tsiaras, also announced the ban on the commercial slaughter of the animals as well as movement.
Similar measures are already in effect in parts of central Greece where the ‘plague’ was first reported.
PPR does not affect people, but is highly contagious among goats and sheep and can kill up to 70% of those infected.
Once a case is detected, the entire flock is culled, the affected farm is disinfected and authorities test animals in nearby areas for the disease, in line with protocols set by the European Union.
Some 7,000 animals in herds where the virus has been identified have been culled in the hardest-hit central Thessaly region.
Another 1,200 will be added early this week, regional governor Dimitris Kouretas said Monday.
Two more cases were detected at farms in the central Larissa region and in the southern area of Corinth over the weekend.
‘Tightening the security measures across the country is deemed necessary for preventive reasons and is aimed at limiting the spread and eradicating the disease,’ the ministry said in a statement.
It is unclear if the measures will affect the production of milk products like Feta, which Greece exports globally. Its main markets are specifically in Germany, the UK and Sweden.
PPR was first detected in Ivory Coast in 1942 and has since spread across the world.
The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates that the disease results in losses of up to $2.1 billion around in the world each year.
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