Lesvos farmers protest foot-and-mouth quarantine rules

The news in Greek

1. ασθένεια  (f.)
   κατάσταση του οργανισμού όπου δεν είναι υγιής και έχει προβλήματα υγείας ↩︎
2. αυστηρός
   με τρόπο πολύ σοβαρό και χωρίς καμία χαλαρότητα ή επιείκεια ↩︎
3. καραντίνα  (f.)
   περίοδος απομόνωσης ανθρώπων ή ζώων για να μην μεταδοθεί μια ασθένεια ↩︎
4. κτηνοτρόφος  (m.)
   άνθρωποι που μεγαλώνουν ζώα, όπως αγελάδες, πρόβατα κτλ., κυρίως για τροφή ↩︎
5. διαμαρτύρομαι
   λέω δυνατά ότι δεν μου αρέσει κάτι ή ότι είναι άδικο ↩︎
6. απολύμανση  (f.)
   καθαρισμός με ειδικά υγρά ή μέσα για να σκοτωθούν μικρόβια και ιοί ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: Why are the farmers on Lesvos protesting?

Question 2: What is being done at ports and airports to stop the disease from spreading?

Vocabulary

Greek	English
ασθένεια  (f.)	disease
αυστηρός	strictly
καραντίνα  (f.)	quarantine
κτηνοτρόφος  (m.)	livestock farmers
διαμαρτύρομαι	to complain / to protest
απολύμανση  (f.)	disinfections

Read the full story

Greek authorities and local producers on the island of Lesvos are facing growing tension after the discovery of foot-and-mouth disease in cattle led to strict quarantine measures on livestock products and tighter controls at key ports.

On Saturday, farmers and livestock breeders held a large-scale protest in Mytilene, the main town of Lesvos. From early morning, they blocked access to the port of Mytilene for several hours, expressing anger over the new rules introduced to contain the animal disease. Police were present in significant numbers, and a police bus was positioned at the port entrance to manage the situation and prevent demonstrators from entering restricted port areas.

The protest later moved to the headquarters of the North Aegean Region, where farmers met regional governor Kostas Moutzouris, along with local officials and members of parliament. Breeders stressed that the current measures have created an economic dead end for them, as they are unable to sell their products.

The Greek Ministry of Rural Development had announced a near-total lockdown on livestock products from Mytilene, applied retroactively to anything produced or shipped after 15 January. The decision followed the confirmation of foot-and-mouth disease in a cattle unit in Pelopi, in the north-eastern part of Lesvos, on 16 March. The aim is to prevent the spread of the highly contagious virus to other parts of Greece.

However, the strict rules have led to the suspension of local dairies and a lack of any organised alternative for handling milk and other products. Local sources estimate that about 250 tonnes of milk per day now remain unsold on the island, increasing financial pressure on producers and raising fears for the broader local economy.

During the meeting at the regional offices, Governor Moutzouris contacted Agriculture Minister Kostas Tsiaras. According to participants, the minister repeated the government’s commitment to compensate for milk that is taken in by businesses during the crisis. At the same time, he noted that the state cannot legally force private cheese-makers to accept and process milk, limiting the reach of this support plan.

Regional authorities also tried to coordinate with a representative of the cheese-making sector to find a joint solution with the ministry. For now, though, the problem of milk disposal remains unresolved. Farmers argue that the current situation threatens their herds, their income and many other related activities on the island. They are calling for a review of the quarantine measures and for more substantial financial aid, warning that protests will continue unless there is a rapid policy response.

While economic and social concerns are prominent on Lesvos, health and veterinary authorities on the mainland are focusing on containment. In the northern city of Thessaloniki, the first ship arriving from Lesvos after the outbreak was met with strict disinfection procedures at the port. Trucks are being sprayed with specialised hoses at a designated point, while drivers and other passengers walk over disinfection mats before entering the terminal area.

The deputy regional governor of Thessaloniki, Kostas Gioutikas, who supervised the process together with the General Director of Agricultural Development and Veterinary Services of Central Macedonia, Kostas Tertivanidis, stated that the authorities are in a state of full readiness. He underlined that the virus is highly contagious, which, in the view of public officials, justifies strict control measures despite the inconvenience for travellers and transport companies.

The new procedures at Thessaloniki’s port have already caused delays in disembarkation, and officials expect longer waiting times when larger passenger ferries arrive. In these cases, all passengers must first pass over the disinfection mats, followed by cars and lorries going through spraying points.

Similar precautionary steps are being taken at Thessaloniki airport. Disinfection mats are being placed at arrival points for flights from Lesvos, as well as from Cyprus and Turkey, where there are also confirmed cases of foot-and-mouth disease in livestock. These measures aim to reduce the risk that the virus might be carried on shoes, vehicle wheels or equipment.

Veterinary experts emphasise that foot-and-mouth disease does not make humans ill. However, people can act as carriers of the virus, transmitting it unknowingly between farms or regions. For this reason, Greek authorities are combining strict movement controls on affected animal products with disinfection protocols at ports and airports.

As the situation develops, the challenge for policymakers is to balance animal health protection and national biosecurity with the urgent economic needs of rural communities like those on Lesvos, who depend heavily on livestock and dairy production.

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