Greek farmers have reassured the public that feta cheese production will continue as normal after concerns rose following the outbreak of a highly infectious virus among hundreds of thousands of goats and sheep.
“Around 9,000 animals have had to be killed because of the outbreak but it won’t endanger feta exports… Our country has 14 million goats and sheep, more than any other [EU] state,” said Christos Tsopanos from the Association of Greek Livestock (SEK).
Tsopanos said around 120,000 tonnes of the Mediterranean staple would be made this year.
“We have enough milk. Authorities have moved fast to deal with this situation,” he added.
Referred to as the “sheep and goat plague”, peste des petits ruminants (PPR) can kill between 80% and 100% of infected animals. It was first confirmed in the central Thessaly region of Greece on July 11.
European regulations state that if a PPR case is detected in a herd, the entire flock must be culled. Exposed areas including farmsteads must also be disinfected.
Greece has imposed nationwide restrictions on the movement of goats and sheep to help mitigate the spread of the disease.
Source: The Guardian.
