Two outbreaks of plague peste des petits ruminants (PPR) of sheep and goats have been detected in Crete, the Creta24.gr website reports.

Reports say the cases were detected in a unit in the prefecture of Heraklion and that the disease management protocol was immediately implemented.

The website goes on to describe the implications as “nightmarish” for the island’s livestock industry, citing the country’s statistics that for the 22 confirmed cases, some 14,000 goats and sheep have been killed, as reported Wednesday, July 31, by the Minister of Rural Development and Food, Kostas Tsiaras.

It is noted that in Greece, whenever there is a confirmed case in a unit, according to the European protocol, the killing of all the animals or landfill and then disinfection of the unit and its quarantine follows.

In fact, on 29 July, by decision of the Minister of Rural Development and Food, the movement of sheep and goats for breeding, fattening and slaughter was banned throughout Greece. This decision was taken as a precautionary measure, aimed at limiting the spread and eradication of small ruminant plague.

At the same time, in Romania, which declared outbreaks ten days after Greece, animal deaths exceed 200,000, Costas Tsiaras claimed.

Cossias has reported that more than 200,000 animals have been slaughtered in the last two years.