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The sheep and goat pox outbreak, which began spreading in Greece in 2024, has had a significant impact on farmers and livestock producers. According to figures cited in the report, around 488,000 animals have been culled across more than 2,600 farms as authorities attempt to contain the disease.<\/p>\n
The consequences are now increasingly being felt across the feta industry.<\/p>\n
Feta production expected to fall<\/p>\n
Greek feta production could decline by around 11% in 2026 as the reduction in livestock affects the availability of sheep and goat milk.<\/p>\n
Wholesale prices have also risen sharply. By June, the price of Greek feta had reportedly exceeded $11 per kilogram, representing an increase of around 33% compared with the previous year.<\/p>\n
Higher production costs are gradually making their way through the supply chain, affecting supermarkets, restaurants, tavernas and food manufacturers.<\/p>\n
The impact could last well beyond the immediate outbreak. Many Greek herds have been developed over generations, with farmers selectively breeding animals whose milk contributes to the distinctive characteristics of traditional feta.<\/p>\n
Replacing those animals quickly is not simply a matter of purchasing new livestock.<\/p>\n
Why Greece cannot simply replace the milk<\/p>\n
Feta is protected under European Union Protected Designation of Origin rules. Authentic feta must be produced in designated Greek regions using sheep\u2019s milk or a permitted mixture of sheep\u2019s and goat\u2019s milk.<\/p>\n
That means producers cannot simply replace lost Greek sheep and goat milk with cow\u2019s milk and continue selling the resulting product as feta.<\/p>\n
The same rules that protect the cheese from imitation products also make the industry particularly vulnerable when Greece\u2019s livestock numbers fall significantly.<\/p>\n