Hoof and mouth disease leads to Lesvos lockdown

The emergency measures were triggered after the Athens Veterinary Center confirmed the virus in a cattle unit in northern Lesbos on March 15. In response, Regional Governor Kostas Moutzouris ordered an immediate disinfection campaign across affected zones and designated the entire island a restricted area under European Union protocols.

The lockdown, which took full effect Thursday, halts the transport of cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats, as well as the collection of milk and animal feed. Under the national emergency response plan, all livestock at the infection site must be euthanized and destroyed. A delegation from the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, led by Deputy Minister Christos Kellas, has arrived on the island to coordinate containment efforts with local veterinary services.

While FMD is highly contagious among cloven-hoofed animals, Mr. Moutzouris stressed that it poses no risk to human health or food safety. 

However, the economic stakes are high; the UK and other non-EU nations have already restricted Greek dairy and meat imports to prevent the virus from spreading to the mainland or abroad.

The outbreak follows a surge of FMD cases in nearby Turkey and a parallel crisis in Cyprus, where nearly 26,000 animals have been culled this year. 

Greek farmers, already reeling from previous outbreaks of sheep and goat pox, have urged Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to provide swift financial compensation to prevent the collapse of the island’s vital agricultural sector.