The situation surrounding foot-and-mouth disease on the Greek island of Lesvos remains difficult, with reports of three additional outbreaks raising further concerns among livestock farmers.
According to Lesvosnews.net, the three new suspected outbreaks were identified on the island. Two are reportedly in the area of Stypsi, while the third concerns a village in the Municipality of West Lesvos. No detailed official information on the cases had been released at the time of the report, with the official picture expected to become clearer later Monday.
Beyond the emergence of new positive livestock holdings, farmers are also concerned about animals roaming freely in mountainous areas of the island.
Concern over free-roaming goats
The animals in question are free-roaming or semi-wild goats that are not consistently kept in organized and controlled livestock facilities.
If it is confirmed that these animals have come into contact with the virus, controlling the disease could become more complicated, according to the report.
Farmers on Lesvos have increasingly raised concerns about goats that graze freely in mountainous areas without being confined to specific livestock facilities.
Some farmers told Lesvosnews.net that they had seen symptoms in some of the animals that raised suspicions that they could be infected with foot-and-mouth disease.
However, the appearance of an animal alone is not enough to confirm the disease. Without laboratory testing, there can be no reliable conclusion that the animals have been infected.
173 outbreaks reported by Greece
The scale of the outbreak on Lesvos is also reflected in data recorded in the European disease monitoring system.
According to the latest available report from the European Commission’s Animal Disease Information System (ADIS), covering data through August 12, 2026, Greece had reported a total of 173 outbreaks of SAT1 foot-and-mouth disease.
The reported cases, numbered GR-FMD-2026-00001 through GR-FMD-2026-00173, concern Lesvos and involve cattle, sheep, goats and mixed sheep-and-goat holdings.
Nine additional outbreaks, numbered 165 through 173, were recorded between August 6 and 12.
The three new cases now being reported occurred after that European record was compiled. If they are confirmed by the competent authorities and registered as separate outbreaks in ADIS, the official total will increase.
