The Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, chaired a meeting on the subsidy to fertilisers (which the platform has not yet opened) payments of agricultural aid and the path to dealing with epizootic diseases, at Maximos Mansion.
During the meeting the programming and the amount of new payments, including the subsidy of fertilisers tariffs, were examined.
A detailed briefing will be held on this issue today on Tuesday (12/5) by the Ministry of Rural Development and Food and the AADE.
With regard to sheep and goat pox, it has been noted that in the last three weeks a very small number of cases have been identified, but it has been pointed out that it is necessary to apply biosecurity measures faithfully and continuously to prevent any reversal of the positive path towards eradication of the disease.
In this context, it was stressed that close cooperation with the Police and Local Government has contributed substantially to the more effective treatment of illegal animal transport.
With regard to foot-and-mouth disease in Lesvos, an overview was made of the support measures taken for farmers and cheese farmers on the island, both in the form of direct payments and compensation and in the form of tax reliefs.
The need to continue biosecurity measures and field surveillance was underlined, with a thorough mapping of the spread of the disease.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis, Minister for Rural Development and Food Margaritis Schinas, Deputy Ministers Giannis Andrianos and Thanasis Kavvadas, the General Secretaries of the Ministry of Spyros Protopsaltis, Antonis Filipis and Argyros Zervas, the Governor of AADE George Pitsilis, the President of ELGA Andreas Lycurentzos and the Head of the Directorate-General for Audits, Enhancements and Payments (GDELEP) of ADE, Giannis Kavvadas.
Kavvadas in Parliament: Compensation for livestock
The government's will to continue the support of livestock farmers affected by zoonoses, with emphasis on the areas of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, stressed by the Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food, Mr. Athanasios Kavvadas, responding to the House in a timely question by the Member of Parliament Rodopi of PASOK – Movement for Change, Ilhan Ahmet, on farmers' compensation and support for cheese farms in the region.
The State Secretary noted that the government and the Ministry of Rural Development and Food are jointly facing a complex crisis with the producers, aimed both at protecting farmers' income and safeguarding animal health. «The government's message to all these people is that we're on the same side», highlighted features.
Mr Kavvadas said that aid to the livestock sector is more than twice as high as in the past, noting that in 2025 a total of EUR 187 million was allocated, while a few days ago another EUR 22.7 million was paid in the first quarter of 2026. The total amount of aid thus amounts to around EUR 210 million.
In particular, only the animals killed have been allocated nationwide EUR 97 million, of which more than EUR 23.5 million were directed to the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace. Of these:
- EUR 10,17 million relates to Xanthi,
- EUR 8.31 million in Rhodope,
- EUR 3,03 million in Evros;
- EUR 1,92 million in Kavala;
- and EUR 114,576 in Drama.
The State Secretary stressed that Greece has allocated the highest compensation per animal at European Union level, while covering 100% of the cost of the procedure.
Referring to the restrictive measures applied due to zoonoses, Mr. Kavvadas noted that the confinement of ovine and caprine animals has significantly increased the cost of production, as farms depend exclusively on purchased feed. A specific feed market aid scheme totalling EUR 70 million was therefore activated through initial and additional funding.
At the same time, he announced that a circular has already been issued allowing, under conditions, movements of sheep and goats to summer pastures.
Ο Υφυπουργός αναφέρθηκε επίσης στις ενισχύσεις για απώλεια εισοδήματος λόγω της αδυναμίας ανασύστασης ζωικού κεφαλαίου, επισημαίνοντας ότι διατέθηκαν επιπλέον 28,5 εκατ. ευρώ, εκ των οποίων πάνω από 9 εκατ. ευρώ αφορούν την Περιφέρεια Ανατολικής Μακεδονίας και Θράκης. Υπενθύμισε ακόμη ότι έχουν ανασταλεί έως τις 31 Δεκεμβρίου 2026 οι φορολογικές και ασφαλιστικές υποχρεώσεις των πληγέντων κτηνοτρόφων, καθώς και τα δημοτικά τέλη.
Στη δευτερολογία του, ο κ. Καββαδάς αναφέρθηκε στο αίτημα οικονομικής ενίσχυσης των τυροκομικών μονάδων της περιοχής, διευκρινίζοντας ότι, σύμφωνα με το ευρωπαϊκό κανονιστικό πλαίσιο, στην περίπτωση της ευλογιάς των αιγοπροβάτων δεν προβλέπεται απαγόρευση διακίνησης γάλακτος και γαλακτοκομικών προϊόντων, εφόσον τηρούνται οι κανόνες υγιεινής και θερμικής επεξεργασίας.
Όπως εξήγησε, σε αντίθεση με την περίπτωση της Λέσβου και του αφθώδους πυρετού, όπου υπήρξαν περιορισμοί στη διάθεση προϊόντων και αναστολές δραστηριότητας, στην Ανατολική Μακεδονία και Θράκη δεν επιβλήθηκε διακοπή λειτουργίας ή απαγόρευση εμπορίας για τα τυροκομεία, γεγονός που δεν επιτρέπει –με βάση τους ευρωπαϊκούς κανόνες– τη χορήγηση αντίστοιχων κρατικών ενισχύσεων.
Κλείνοντας, ο Υφυπουργός Αγροτικής Ανάπτυξης και Τροφίμων υπογράμμισε ότι η κυβέρνηση θα συνεχίσει να εξετάζει κάθε αίτημα στήριξης με τεκμηρίωση και σεβασμό στο ευρωπαϊκό πλαίσιο, επισημαίνοντας ότι «Η κυβέρνηση έχει αποδείξει στην πράξη ότι όταν υπάρχει ανάγκη στήριξης της κτηνοτροφίας ανταποκρίνεται με άμεσες και ουσιαστικές παρεμβάσεις».
