Strict Controls on Livestock Movement Due to Sheep Pox Ahead of Easter

The Ministry of Rural Development and Food, in collaboration with the Hellenic Police, has intensified controls on animal movements ahead of Easter, due to sheep pox. The aim is to prevent a new wave of the disease.

From October 2025 to early March 2026, over 21,700 checks have been carried out on vehicles transporting animals, resulting in 56 arrests. The checks focus on verifying accompanying documents and confirming compliance with movement restrictions.

The General Secretary of Agricultural Development and Food, Spyros Protopsaltis, stressed the need for strict adherence to the measures by all involved, in order to avoid a new outbreak of the disease. In areas where cases are identified, restriction zones are created with a radius of up to 40 kilometers.

Violations mainly concern the breach of biosecurity measures and movement restrictions, such as moving animals without the necessary documents or outside the permitted zones.

The controls will continue with undiminished intensity, with the aim of protecting the country's livestock farming.