Fears over Christmas cheese shortage after 'highly contagious' pox ravages flocks
Christmas tables could be missing a much loved cheese this year, as a deadly pox sweeps through Greece.
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More than 260,000 goats and sheep have already been culled in a desperate attempt to contain sheep pox raising the alarming prospect of a festive season without feta.
The first cases were detected in northern Greece in August 2024, since then the disease has spread.
By November, more than 1,700 cases had been confirmed, according to FarmingUK.
Under national veterinary rules, a single detected case results in the entire flock being culled.
Greek authorities have called for tightened biosecurity measures to avoid a total ban on the movement of sheep and goats across the country.
Last year, Greece exported €785million worth of feta, figures from the Greek Exports Association show.
Of this, €520million went to fellow EU nations, and €90million to the UK.
Feta has to be made of at least 70% sheep's milk, with the remainder being goat's.
