Supreme Court orders rapid inquiry into sheep pox biosecurity breaches
Greece’s Supreme Court Prosecutor, Konstantinos Tzavellas, has ordered an urgent preliminary investigation across nine regional appellate jurisdictions to determine whether any individuals—including public officials or private citizens—violated disease-prevention measures related to stopping the spread of sheep pox in the country. The offences under scrutiny fall under Article 285 of the Greek Penal Code, which concerns breaches of public health protection measures.
Alongside potential violations of disease-prevention protocols, the Supreme Court Prosecutor has also instructed regional prosecutors to examine whether any other criminal acts prosecutable ex officio may have occurred.
The order was sent to the Appeals Prosecutors of Larissa, Thrace, Thessaloniki, Western Macedonia, Lamia, Western Central Greece, the Northern Aegean, Nafplio, and the Aegean. They have been directed to forward both the letter from Minister of Rural Development and Food Kostas Tsiaras and the accompanying documents to the competent local First-Instance Prosecutors in their regions.
In his letter, Minister Tsiaras details a series of alleged breaches of biosecurity measures put in place to prevent the spread of sheep pox in Greece.
These include:
a) Farmers failing to report deceased animals, which is required so carcasses can be disposed of through sanitary burial.
b) Illegal movement of sheep and goats between regions.
c) The unlawful importation—albeit on a limited scale—of vaccines not approved by the European Union, followed by the illegal vaccination of animals using these unlicensed products.
d) Public statements by political figures and agricultural union representatives encouraging farmers to ignore official biosecurity measures and instead use unapproved vaccines produced in third countries, whose effectiveness and safety are considered questionable.
The investigation aims to determine the extent of these reported violations and assess whether they contributed to the risk of spreading the contagious disease.
