“We have given compensation higher than any other European country for the killed animals”
A possibility of Lockdown, due to zoonoses, will have serious consequences for agriculture and livestock farming, the Minister of Rural Development and Food said, Costas Tsiaras, Speaking on the “Real FM” radio station and the Action 24 TV station.
“We want to avoid Lockdown. I clarify this in every direction. If we move on to Lockdown, there will be serious consequences for Greek livestock farming and agriculture. We are currently in the harvest of corn, a basic product of the primary sector and decisive for feed production. If this chain is disturbed, the difficulties will be enormous throughout the agri -food economy, ”Mr Tsiaras said.
Speaking about the plague faced by our country in 2024, the responsible minister noted that there were basic differences with smallpox.
“The plague virus lives up to 21 days, which enabled us to apply limited and time measures. On the contrary, smallpox virus can survive up to six months, in natural carriers such as animal wool or feed. This means that treatment cannot be done in the same way, ”he said.
Regarding compensation, he stressed that the government has stood by farmers with substantial financial support. “We have given compensation higher than any other European country for the killed animals. We also proceeded to cover the cost of feed. We have found all the tools that will give breeders the opportunity to stand up and ensure their survival, “he said.
He recalled yesterday’s decision – at a meeting with the Regional Governors – for a 10 -day “raid”, with the mobilization of all the Veterinary Services of the Ministry. “We will find ourselves in every area with the veterinarians of the Ministry and the supervised bodies. Our goal is to strengthen bio -security measures by creating additional signs of disinfection to substantially limit the risk of further dissemination of the disease, “he said.
For vaccination, the Minister of Rural Development and Food reiterated that there is currently no scientific documentation on the effectiveness of vaccines, saying that “the available formulations come from third countries, no European country has applied vaccination and clinical studies show that only 60% of the immune. If we went into such an uncertain choice, we would even endanger our exports – and most of all the most important product of our livestock, the slice. “
Finally, he spoke extensively about OPEKEPE, stressing that “the organization now operates with rules of transparency and justice, as it is in every government and the Greek state”.
As he pointed out, “the previous system with historical rights and virtual pastures had created distortions that allowed some to receive aid without having real livestock.” He pointed out that in the last year there have been “too many steps” of resolution, through an action plan in cooperation with the European Commission, new controls on ecological payments and decision to re -examine all cases where “numbers had nothing to do with reality”.