Vets call strike over mandatory sterilization
Vets throughout Greece have called a 24-hour strike for Wednesday, in protest against the mandatory sterilization of pets.
The Panhellenic Veterinary Association considers the measure unscientific and ineffective and has expressed concerns about possible negative effects on the health and welfare of animals.
However, an umbrella representing 66 animal welfare organizations said that “animal lovers say ‘yes’ to sterilization” and urged vets to “help us to change the bleak situation of strays in Greece.”
“We are the active animal lovers of the country, the ones who bring you injured, sick and sheltered animals every day. Those who are constantly called to pick up abandoned animals, animals unwanted by neighbors and, above all, countless baby kittens and puppies. Those who rush about, deal with and pay for animals to be vaccinated, neutered and treated,” the Panhellenic Animal Welfare and Environmental Federation said in an open letter addressed to the country’s vets.
“We are the reason your profession is one of the fastest growing professions in the country,” it continued, noting that “thousands of strays are neutered every year and vets never had any reservations about that.”
In 2021, breeders told the Guardian that mandatory sterilization could bring about the end of pedigrees that have existed in Greece since ancient times.
