The measures include bans on the movement of cattle, sheep, goats and pigs, restrictions on the movement of milk and dairy products, and a complete halt to slaughter. As a result, more than 70,000 lambs and kids remain unsold, while milk production from 9,000 units, amounting to 60 to 70 tonnes a day, has effectively been brought to a standstill. Products produced on Lesvos are now strictly intended for consumption on the island, dealing a heavy blow to the local economy and export activity and leaving livestock businesses facing serious financial losses.
Livestock farming is one of the main pillars of the island’s economy. According to the measures announced by the ministry, more than 70,000 lambs and kids intended for export are stranded, while approximately 9,000 registered milk-supply units have stopped receiving milk. Daily production of 60 to 70 tonnes, sold at around €1.45 per kilo, has been disrupted. The milk is either processed on the island or exported abroad for the production of PDO cheeses such as ladotyri.
The ministry announced emergency measures aimed at containing the spread of the disease and ordered the activation of local foot-and-mouth disease control centres to coordinate the relevant services and provide public information.
Protection zones have been established on Lesvos, including a 3km protection zone, a 10km surveillance zone around the affected farm, and a restricted zone covering the rest of the island. The measures are due to remain in force until 15 May 2026.
A total ban has been imposed on the movement of cattle, sheep, goats and pigs for any purpose within the protection, surveillance and restricted zones for at least 10 days, pending a reassessment of the measures. Raw milk and dairy products already produced, or produced during this period, cannot be moved out of Lesvos. Raw milk may only be processed within the zone where it originates, subject to biosecurity rules, while dairy products must undergo heat treatment of at least 72C for 15 seconds. Products made on Lesvos are intended strictly for local consumption.
Products already produced outside Lesvos using milk originating from the island, as well as products moved from Lesvos to the rest of Greece since 15 January, will not be placed on the market until further notice.
Vehicles transporting raw milk and dairy products within Lesvos must comply with strict biosecurity measures, including cleaning and disinfection, carrying disinfection equipment, operating separately by zone, avoiding milk collection from unrestricted areas when entering restricted zones, and carrying accompanying cleaning and disinfection documents. The same conditions apply to vehicles transporting dairy products.
All slaughter of productive animals on Lesvos has been banned until further notice. Carcasses from farms outside Lesvos may only be sold on the local market, while carcasses from farms on the island are intended for the local market only after heat treatment. The shipment of carcasses, meat and meat products from Lesvos to the rest of Greece, other EU member states and third countries is prohibited.
Animal by-products such as dead animals, manure, milk, hides, wool, offal and slaughterhouse tissues cannot be moved off the island. Hides and skins must be taken to approved intermediate handling units for salting and storage, while slaughterhouses are required to handle by-products within Lesvos. Similar restrictions apply to animal feed.
Inspections and visits are being carried out in the protection and surveillance zones, with priority given to the protection zone. The authorities are checking compliance with biosecurity measures including fencing, disinfection of vehicle wheels and footwear, continuous disinfection of equipment and materials, visitor records and the use of protective clothing.
Foot-and-mouth disease is a viral disease affecting cloven-hoofed animals, including cattle, sheep, goats and pigs, and is characterised by high transmissibility and rapid spread. It can be transmitted directly, indirectly or through the air, but does not affect humans and poses no risk to public health, although it requires strict control measures and movement restrictions.
Deputy regional governor for the primary sector Anastasia Antonelli said Lesvos was going through one of its most critical periods in recent years, warning that the disease could trigger a domino effect of economic and social consequences. On Friday 20 March, the secretary general of rural development and food, Spyros Protopsaltis, was due to visit the island to coordinate the response further.
Farmers announce blockade
Lesvos livestock farmers decided on Thursday night, at a meeting held at the municipal theatre in Kalloni, to organise a protest blockade against the measures imposed by the Ministry of Rural Development.
The blockade is due to take place at the Larso junction at 12 noon on Sunday 22 March. In their statement, the protesting farmers said: ‘Foot-and-mouth disease is a very serious disease, but the government’s policy is even more dangerous. We will not allow Lesvos to become a vast animal cemetery and livestock farmers to become “refugees” in their own land.’
Tensions had already flared on Wednesday afternoon outside the North Aegean regional authority building during the visit of deputy rural development minister Christos Kellas, when angry farmers and livestock breeders jeered him and effectively trapped him inside the building for two hours.
The deputy minister, accompanied by New Democracy MP for Lesvos Charalambos Athanasiou and North Aegean regional governor Kostas Moutzouris, eventually came out to address the gathered livestock farmers.
Protesters strongly condemned him, demanding clear answers about the distribution of their products, inspections and the viability of their businesses. Tensions escalated when one livestock farmer, addressing the deputy minister directly, described the deadlock her family was facing and said the ministry’s decisions were leading the sector to economic ruin.
Kellas responded by saying: ‘I’m sorry.’ He later left the regional building in Mytilene under police escort.
Farmers’ demands
The farmers are demanding that compliance with biosecurity measures be fully financed by the state.
They are also calling for the veterinary service to be fully staffed through the hiring of permanent veterinarians and the reinforcement of local veterinary clinics, arguing that understaffing opened the way for the disease to spread.
They are demanding mandatory disinfection at the port and at key points of the road network under the responsibility of the region and the state.
They also want protection for the price of milk, insisting that it should continue to be paid at the rate in force before the outbreak. In cases where milk is not collected, they say farmers should be compensated on the basis of the production capacity of their units.
They are calling for immediate and full compensation for livestock farmers whose animals are culled, as well as full support until their herds are restored.
They also demand a freeze on all debts to banks, the tax authorities and feed suppliers, arguing that no livestock farmer should have to pay instalments while the island remains under quarantine, and that EFKA and ELGA contributions should be covered by the state.
With Easter approaching, they say that if the ban on distributing carcasses to the rest of Greece remains in place, the state must cover the lost income based on the price producers would have received in the mainland market.
They are also demanding compensation for income lost because of the quarantine, as well as the implementation of vaccination by state services on the basis of a scientific plan, with the state fully covering any consequences arising from it.
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