EU to also send experts in response to sheep and goat disease outbreak
Veterinarians and other experts from the European Union will arrive in Greece on Wednesday to help local colleagues get a handle on an outbreak of the contagious ovine rinderpest disease among sheep and goats in Central Greece.
The alarm sounded in Brussels after investigations in Greece determined that the disease came into the country with sheep and goats imported from Romania, and not from Turkey as originally thought.
Animals from the same supplier have also made their way to other parts of Europe, according to reports.
The disease was first detected on July 11 in the Thessaly region, which was devastated by floods in September last year that also wiped out flocks of sheep and goats.
Abattoirs have been ordered closed until Friday and dozens of animals have been culled in a bid to contain the spread of the disease.
