Livestock breeder commits suicide after his flock was culled due to sheep pox

A 52-year-old livestock breeder took his own life after 1,000 of his animals, his own flock, had to be culled due to the sheep pox.

The man was found by his brother hanged in the storage room of his house in Vrontou, Pieria in central Macedonia, northern Greece, on Friday morning, January 9.

“Animals were his whole life,” his brother told news website newsit.gr, adding that the flock, 400 sheep and 600 lamb, were culled 25 days ago.

“I saw him very troubled but I didn’t realize he was so affected, otherwise I would have locked him in his room so this wouldn’t happen” the brother said.

The local society is in shock and people close to him saw that he was sad every day, but no one could imagine the tragic end.

“Yes, my brother was very sad since the day his animals were killed. I saw him very troubled but I didn’t realize that he was so affected, otherwise I would have locked him in his room so that this wouldn’t happen. In the morning we woke up and drank coffee normally, then he left and I found him hanging in his home. He hadn’t left any note. The sheep and lambs that were killed were about 1,000, my brother spent his whole day with the animals, they were his life”, he says.

Police authorities who rushed to the scene appear to have ruled out any possibility of criminal activity from the very beginning and are investigating the causes and circumstances under which the 58-year-old breeder took his own life.

The president of the Vrontou community, Nikos Kalaitzis, told  ThessPost.gr that the entire community is in shock, as the 52-year-old was one of the most beloved residents.

“The entire village is in great sorrow, he was loved by everyone. Today early in the morning they drank coffee and then went to the warehouse… The whole family is involved in livestock farming, he was born and raised among the animals and in the fields. We were all surprised, we didn’t expect it. He was very heartbroken that he lost his herd, it was only because of his sadness that what happened happened,” he said.

Livestock breeders are desperate

Almost half a million animals have been culled since August 2024 when the sheep and goat pox went out of control and Greek rural development authorities refused to allow breeders to vaccinate their animals.

The shocking news reveals in the most tragic way what livestock farmers have been complaining about from the very beginning. The mass killing of flocks, especially of productive animals, is a huge shock for people who have cared for them their entire lives and at the same time suffer from great anxiety about how they and their families will cope financially.

The state compensation for a culled animal is half the real value of it, if the breeder want to replace his flock

Before the 52-year-old reached the point of ending his life, other cases of livestock farmers who faced sudden health problems like a brain stroke or psychological shock have made it in the Greek news.

The livestock breeder in Vrontou is one of six breeders so far who have “broken down” from the loss of their flocks, proving that for them they are not only the means by which they ensure their livelihood, but also members of their families.

The technical advisor of the Greek Livestock Association and president of the Kastoria Agricultural Association “Makednos” Thomas Moschos emphasized to ThessPost.gr that “the previous five livestock farmers suffered either a stroke or a heart attack after the slaughter. We are confirming once again that the government is not only destroying animal flocks, it is also destroying families and human lives.”

Substantial support for livestock breeders and effective measures against the smallpox are two of the top demands of the farmers and livestock breeders protests that have been ongoing for over a month in the country.

“It is a red line, no road blockade will be lifted unless we move to vaccinating of sheep and goats to stop the slaughter that is currently taking place,” Moschos stressed.