Greek farmers vow to avoid feta shortage due to sheep and goat plague

Greek farmers deny feta cheese production could be seriously affected by an outbreak of a deadly virus among goats and sheep that has led to the slaughter of thousands of animals. The livestock industry has sought to allay fears that cheese, a staple of the Mediterranean diet, could be threatened by the speed at which the highly contagious disease is spreading. “About 9,000 animals had to be killed due to the outbreak, but this will not jeopardize feta exports,” said Christos Tsopanos, a senior official at the Greek Livestock Association (SEK). “Our country has 14 million goats and sheep, more than any other [EU] state.” He said 120,000 tonnes of feta cheese will be produced this year. “We have enough milk. The authorities responded quickly to this situation.” Known as “sheep and goat plague” or peste des petits ruminants (PPR), the virus can kill between 80% and 100% of infected animals. It was first confirmed in Greece on July 11th. EU regulations state that if a case of PPR is ...