Feta Cheese Crisis Looms as Greece Faces Widespread Sheep and Goat Cull

Fri Dec 05 2025 03:51:00 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

An outbreak of sheep and goat pox in Greece has led to the culling of hundreds of thousands of livestock, threatening the production of feta cheese—one of the country's most iconic exports.

In a devastating blow to Greece's feta cheese production, an outbreak of sheep and goat pox has prompted the culling of approximately 417,000 animals. Farmers are expressing deep emotional and financial turmoil, while concerns about potential feta shortages mount as the government grapples with the outbreak.

Hundreds of thousands of sheep and goats are being culled in Greece, due to the outbreak of an infectious disease. It may affect production and exports of the country's famous feta cheese.

Anastasia Siourtou walks through her deserted farm on the outskirts of Karditsa, a city in the Thessaly region of central Greece. An eerie silence hangs over the place where 650 sheep were being raised.

On 12 November veterinary officials culled all the livestock after a case of sheep and goat pox was detected. There is another farm two kilometres away. They had pox cases, but hid it, she says, alluding to how she believes her herd contracted the disease.

Ms Siourtou is a veterinarian herself and has expanded the farm that her father built. Losing the animals means financial ruin - besides the livestock the farm lost, the sheep's milk, which is sold for the production of feta cheese, is often referred to as Greece's white gold.

More than the financial blow, however, Ms Siourtou speaks of the emotional toll. I was here the day the sheep were culled. It is very cruel, I felt that I failed to protect them.

Sheep and goat pox is a viral infection, and the disease has spread across many regions of the country since the first case was detected in northern Greece in August 2024. A total of 1,702 incidents had been recorded by mid-November, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Rural Development and Food.

Detecting a single case on a farm means the entire herd must be culled for preventive reasons. Approximately 80% of Greek sheep and goat's milk goes towards making feta cheese, which is a protected designation of origin within the European Union.

Farmers report difficulties sourcing sheep's milk, raising the specter of potential shortages. While feta prices have not yet increased, the current situation is likely to lead to price hikes if the outbreak continues.

Many Greek farmers are calling for the government to approve mass vaccinations against the disease, similar to methods used in Bulgaria and Turkey, to effectively manage the situation. However, officials warn that this could classify Greece as an endemic country for the diseases, imposing restrictions on export quality.

The response from the Greek government has faced criticism, as farmers express anger over inadequate measures to control the disease. The ongoing crisis not only threatens the feta cheese industry but also the livelihoods of countless farmers across Greece.