Greece allocates €7.4 million to aid livestock farmers after foot-and-mouth outbreak
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
The Greek government will distribute €7.4 million in aid to 104 livestock farmers on the island of Lesbos after an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.
Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food, Thanasis Kavvadas, announced that a platform will open by Friday for payments covering over 20,000 deceased animals. The funds will compensate for animal losses, lost income, and support local dairy businesses, with a further payment planned for income lost in the second half of 2026.
These payments are tax-free and cannot be seized to settle debts. The government has also created a special compensation for undelivered milk, a first for Greece, and is finalizing regulations for feed support. Kavvadas stated that the government aims to complete tracing of the disease across the island and eradicate it entirely. As of today, officials have traced over 80% of farms on Lesbos, leaving approximately 300 farms still to be investigated.
More than 40 veterinarians and agricultural scientists are working on the island, collecting samples in teams of two. The Ministry of National Defense is assisting with coordination, but the Ministry of Rural Development retains responsibility for strategy and veterinary decisions. The government is also working to preserve the genetic material of the local Lesbos sheep breed by collecting and freezing sperm samples.
