Serious concerns and fears are now openly expressed about the risk of widespread spread of the foot-and-mouth disease virus in the community of Pachna, as a result of the incidents the day before yesterday. Livestock farmers in the area gathered outside the infected unit with the clear purpose of preventing the implementation of the prescribed procedures by the Veterinary Services.
The situation is dangerously complicated, as the livestock farmers involved in the incidents, contacted the owner of the affected farm and then left to go to their own units for the care of their animals. During the protest, the breeders took samples from the officials of the Veterinary Services.
The final disposal of these materials remains unknown, while there is a strong concern that the samples may carry an active virus, which may contribute to a further outbreak of the disease. At the same time, serious deficiencies in biosecurity measures were recorded on the day of the protest, as vehicles moving within the livestock zone were not disinfected, going from one unit to another.
Officials warn that such behaviours undermine the relentless efforts of the state apparatus and directly endanger the viability of the industry, especially considering that about 10,000 animals are bred in the area.
The owner of the unit, Father Christos, expressed his strong disagreement with the killing of animals that do not show symptoms and refused to sign the relevant decree, asking for an extension. He left open the possibility that the positive results are due to the recent administration of the second dose of the vaccine, which took place 16 days before the test. For their part, the Veterinary Services make it clear that the result is not questionable, noting that the vaccine does not cause physical infection and that apparently some biosecurity or disinfection measure was not observed. However, taking into account the strong concerns of livestock breeders, the veterinary officer of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nadia Kalli, announced that at this stage the killings of animals are postponed. On the contrary, repeated sampling has been planned and is being carried out in this unit, as well as in other farms where the owners are willing to cooperate. The authorities appeal to livestock farmers to accept sampling at any time, without waiting for the completion of 30 days from vaccination, underlining that full cooperation is the only way to protect the herds and end the crisis immediately.
