Greece’s relevant agriculture minister on Wednesday said roughly 18,000 goats and sheep have been culled in the country so far this summer due to a strain of animal plague (PPR), compared to 230,000 animals destroyed in Romania – the country from which Greek authorities believe the disease was transmitted to the herds in the Thessaly province.
Speaking during a television appearance, Minister Kostas Tsiaras, who holds the rural development and food portfolio, added that tracking and the strict application of an EU protocol based on Directive 687 of 2020 resulted in the discovery of instances of PPR in different regions around Greece. Among others, a prohibition in the transport of sheep and goats in the country has been applied over the past two weeks.
Speaking on the now timely problem of water shortages in the farm sector and rural areas, Tsiaras acknowledged that it affects agriculture production, while saying no quick solutions are available. Instead, he referred to the creation of a water resources mechanism in Thessaly after the catastrophic flooding last September.
He said a similar water resources management mechanism will created for Crete.
