The Secretary General for Rural Development and Food, Spyros Protopsaltis, visited Lesvos after the detection of a case of foot-and-mouth disease on the island, in order to closely monitor the implementation of biosecurity measures, to strengthen the coordination of the competent authorities and to send a clear message that the priority at the moment is one: that there should be no spread of the disease.
During his visit, Mr. Protopsaltis initially participated in a meeting at the Directorate of Agricultural Economy and Veterinary Medicine (DAOK) with the Head of the North Aegean Region, Kostas Moutzouris and the competent services, on the progress of the controls, the implementation of the measures foreseen and the acceleration of clinical surveillance and tracing.
A meeting was then held with the island’s cheesemakers at the Region’s building, as part of the overall effort to ensure strict compliance with the measures and prevent any risk of further spreading.
The Secretary General also visited the Mytilene customs office at the port, while he met with the Director General of Police of the North Aegean, Major General Michalis Sevδυνidis, the Police Director of Lesvos, Kostas Papazoglou, the Commander of the 9th Regional Command of the Coast Guard, Efstratios Psyrras, and the Port Director, Georgios Koulikas, to strengthen controls and surveillance.
As noted in a relevant statement, the visit focused on the strict implementation of all the measures foreseen, the completion, without delays, of the clinical surveillance by the veterinary services, the full control of the farms and the mobilisation of all the stakeholders involved, so that the disease is immediately and effectively contained within Lesvos.
The Ministry of Rural Development and Food stresses that the current phase is the most critical and allows no room for relaxation or deviation.
According to the statement, “strict compliance with the instructions of the veterinary services is mandatory and absolutely necessary to protect the livestock sector of Lesvos and prevent the spread of the disease to the rest of the country.
This responsibility is a collective one. Local bodies, control mechanisms, competent authorities, cheese dairies, slaughterhouses, traders and livestock farmers must contribute with absolute seriousness and discipline to the implementation of the measures, in order to prevent the worst and protect the livestock of the island and the country.”
In a statement, the Secretary General of Rural Development and Food, Spyros Protopsaltis, noted:
“We are in Lesvos today to see the implementation of the measures and to coordinate with all relevant bodies the effort to contain FMD.
To this end, full and rigorous implementation of all measures is required, without exception and without delay. Tracing and clinical surveillance must be completed immediately, all farms must be checked and the instructions of the veterinary services must be strictly observed. There is no room for relaxation or complacency.
The protection of Lesvos’ livestock industry is critical both for the island itself and for the country as a whole. In this effort, the role of local authorities, services, the farmers themselves and related businesses is crucial in order to prevent the worst and contain the disease here and now.
I want to send a clear message to the breeders of Lesvos: the government is and will be by their side. The people of production and processing who are being tested are not alone. As in other difficult cases of animal diseases, the state will support those affected, with compensation payments to be announced soon.
It is a difficult time, but with cooperation, responsibility and strict adherence to measures, we can protect Lesvos, support our farmers and primary sector manufacturing businesses and prevent the further spread of the disease.”
As stated in the communication, “FMD is a highly contagious viral disease of farm animals, which is not transmissible to humans and does not pose a public health risk, but poses a very serious threat to livestock, livestock production and the local economy.
The Ministry of Rural Development and Food stresses that it remains in full operational readiness and in continuous cooperation with the North Aegean Region, the veterinary services, the port, customs and police authorities, in order to ensure the strict implementation of the measures and the immediate containment of the disease.
