Minister Borche Serafimovski announces compensation for shepherds after sheep pox deaths

Minister Borche Serafimovski announced that the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy has prepared a compensation methodology for livestock owners whose sheep died amid a recent sheep pox outbreak. He said the tally of dead animals has so far approached 10,000 head.

Serafimovski said the rules require that the same site remain free of livestock for at least six months after an outbreak, and that the government will seek to provide payments to help shepherds rebuild their flocks.

“According to the rules, at the same location livestock cannot be kept again for at least six months. Therefore, we will try to make payments to the shepherds to allow them to prepare for repurchasing new sheep,” the minister said.

Vaccines, regional spread and next steps

He added that the European Union has supplied 450,000 vaccines for sheep and goats and that authorization for their use has been obtained. The ministry plans to meet with shepherds next week to agree on follow-up measures and to discuss whether to carry out vaccination of livestock.

Serafimovski assessed that the situation is stabilizing and that, for now, the spread is largely limited to the Eastern Region, one of the hardest hit areas. He said shepherds are following prescribed measures, isolating flocks, which has reduced the number of newly infected animals.

“In coordination with the shepherds we will consider the next steps in tackling the disease and will examine the possibility of vaccinating livestock in accordance with the recommendations of European experts,” he added.

Photo: press material from the event