ATHENS – The spread of the so-called Goat Plague that affects animals and has led to ban on transporting them around the country means that Greeks won’t have their traditional lamb for Aug. 15 activities this year.

It’s also likely that slaughterhouses will be closed leading up to that and Minister of Rural Development Kostas Tsiaras told SKAI TV that, “We will live without lamb on August 15,” although it wasn’t said how that could be enforced.

That came as there were  five more outbreaks in Western Greece, three in Aitoloakarnania in central Greece and two in Ilia in southern Greece. Some 18,335 sheep and goats have been killed or are expected to be killed, the ministry said.

Private and military veterinarians have been called in to help stop the spread of the disease that was said to have come in somehow from Romania and is seen driving up the price of popular cheeses like feta and graviera.

The ministry on Aug. 9 said it would decide whether to extend the ban on animal slaughter and if more animals should be killed, which is worrying farmers, many trying to protect their herds that graze remotely in fields and on hills.

Tsiaras wrote to European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski and European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides asking for help compensating farmers who’ve lost livestock – as they did in 2023 floods.

He said Greece adopted additional strict measures to limit and eradicate the disease, said the state-run Athens Macedonia News Agency (ANA.) “It is imperative that we coordinate our efforts to protect and support livestock farming, ensuring its sustainability and resilience,” he said.

“Given the serious economic impact of this epidemic on our livestock farmers, compensatory measures must be taken to support the affected. Livestock farmers are at the forefront of this battle, have already suffered significant losses due to other crises, such as the severe floods in Greece and are further burdened by the ongoing crises in all Member States.”

He said that, “It is imperative that financial assistance be provided not only to compensate farmers with the highest possible amount for the loss of each animal but also for compensating for their loss of income.”

ANA reported a widespread veterinarian operation to fight the outbreak of Peste des petits ruminants, (PPR) in western Greece, concentrating on  epidemiological inspections and laboratory results, as was done in Thessaly.