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Only the Ionian Islands and Cyclades have remained unaffected by the spread of 'bluetongue' sheep disease. Recently the disease hit farms on Crete as well. The first cases are in the areas of Rethymnon and Heraklion.

Stock-breeders across the country are desperate, because the disease has spread not only in Greece but also in the Balkans, Italy and Spain. And as if that is not enough, Greek stock-breeding suffered a second hit - the return of smallpox which had been in decline. To date, 22,000 animals have been killed by smallpox and more than 3,000 by bluetongue.

A meeting at the Ministry

On Friday, at the Ministry of Agricultural Development another meeting was organized attended by stock-breeders, at which issues concerning the fight against the problem were discussed. So far, Bluetongue has affected farms almost in the entire country, and 906 livestock units are a centre of infection. As stated by the Secretary General of the Ministry, Moschos Korasidis, 200,000 animals have been infected, the sick rate being 6%, and the mortality rate - 0.83%.

Up until the present moment thousands of sheep have died and, according to the Panhellenic Stockbreeders Association, unless urgent measures are taken, by Christmas 20%-30% of the sheep in the country will have died, which number about 12 million.

Breeders are in a panic, and as argued by the Chairman of the Association, Panagiotis Peveretos, there is no support from the state at all, and according to the relevant ministerial decision none of the affected stockbreeders have been compensated.

Deputy Minister of Agricultural Development, Paris Koukoulopoulos, undertook a commitment at the meeting that compensations both for bluetongue and for smallpox, will be transferred within the next 10 days. By Tuesday instructions will be sent to the periphery regarding compensations and measures to prevent and control these diseases.

Regarding weakened veterinary services, Koukoulopoulos said that they can be reinforced with vets from the register set up by the Ministry.

80-150 euro compensation for each animal

According to the ministerial decision, the compensations for killing sick animals are given according to the age of the animal and will vary between 80 and 150 euro. No compensation is provided for animals that died before the farmer reported they were sick. 30 euro have been envisaged for such cases from the programme for spongiform encephalopathy - farmers must cut off the head and send it for testing. "This is all because the Ministry has no money", says Peveretos.

However, according to him the biggest problem is not compensation, but the opportunity to restore flocks. "We will require a special programme. Flocks have been destroyed. The Ministry said that the sick rate was 6% of the animals. According to our data it is 10%. Animals, however, even those that have survived, lose their productive potential. Damages are not recoverable. In the new Common Agricultural Policy a programme has been envisaged to support those who lose livestock. Greek stockbreeding wants support. During an economic crisis animals are malnourished because of the expensive fodder. They were weak and the disease came and hit them", said the Chairman of the Association.

Furthermore, no compensation has been provided for the food we are forced to buy for the quarantined flocks. "10 euro per month will be given only for the moving ones, and for flocks affected by smallpox", says Peveretos.

Regarding the scientific checks on "collective immunity" - that is, when immunity develops sufficiently to form a "barrier" to the virus - the news is encouraging. In Xanthi natural immunity reaches 100%, in Evros and Laconia - 75%. Regarding the termination of the flocks vaccination, the Ministry has not yet taken a decision. Brussels reported lack of funding for 2014, and in 2015 vaccination of up to 75% animals can be subsidized.