Greek feta is facing growing pressure as a major livestock disease outbreak has led to the loss of hundreds of thousands of sheep and goats, threatening milk supplies and pushing cheese prices higher.

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.

The consequences are now increasingly being felt across the feta industry.

Feta production expected to fall

Greek feta production could decline by around 11% in 2026 as the reduction in livestock affects the availability of sheep and goat milk.

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.

Higher production costs are gradually making their way through the supply chain, affecting supermarkets, restaurants, tavernas and food manufacturers.

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.

Replacing those animals quickly is not simply a matter of purchasing new livestock.

Why Greece cannot simply replace the milk

Feta is protected under European Union Protected Designation of Origin rules. Authentic feta must be produced in designated Greek regions using sheep’s milk or a permitted mixture of sheep’s and goat’s milk.

That means producers cannot simply replace lost Greek sheep and goat milk with cow’s milk and continue selling the resulting product as feta.

The same rules that protect the cheese from imitation products also make the industry particularly vulnerable when Greece’s livestock numbers fall significantly.

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Feta is also an important Greek export. A large share of the country’s sheep and goat milk is used to produce the cheese, with annual export revenues approaching $1 billion.

Debate over slaughter and vaccination

Greek authorities have relied heavily on the culling of infected and exposed animals as part of efforts to eliminate the disease and protect Greece’s livestock trade.

However, some farmers and experts have argued that vaccination could help preserve more of the country’s herds.

Authorities have raised concerns that vaccination could complicate the process of establishing disease free status and potentially create difficulties for international trade.

For farmers, the consequences can be severe. Losing an entire herd means not only the loss of immediate income but also the destruction of breeding stock and family businesses built over decades.

The disease affects sheep and goats but does not infect humans. The concern for consumers is therefore not that feta itself carries the disease, but that reduced milk supplies could lead to higher prices and create opportunities for products of questionable origin.

Illegal livestock trade adds to the problem

The spread of the disease has also been linked to illegal movement and trading of animals.

Reports have previously alleged that sheep and goats from infected farms were illegally sold at heavily reduced prices rather than being destroyed as required.

Such activity can allow farmers to recover some of their losses, but it also risks carrying the disease into new areas.

Veterinary authorities have faced additional challenges from illegal transportation, delayed reporting and attempts to conceal signs of infection.

The outbreak is slowing, but the damage remains

There are signs that the rate of new outbreaks is declining. During the first four months of 2026, around 131 new outbreaks were reportedly recorded, compared with approximately 1,700 during 2025.

However, farmers have questioned whether official figures fully capture the scale of the crisis.

Even once the outbreak is brought under control, rebuilding Greece’s livestock sector will take years. Breeding herds, milk production and farms that have closed will not be restored overnight.

For consumers, that means higher feta prices could remain a reality for some time.

Greek feta is unlikely to disappear from supermarket shelves, but the combination of livestock losses, reduced milk production and rising costs could make one of Greece’s most iconic foods increasingly expensive.

SOURCE:  https://greekcitytimes.com/2026/08/21/greek-feta-prices-sheep-goat-losses/