Greece is facing a potential feta cheese shortage as a virus sweeps through its goat and sheep population. Hundreds of thousands of livestock have had to be destroyed after an outbreak of sheep and goat pox began spreading across the country. 

The lack of goat and sheep milk could lead to a drop in production of feta cheese – one of Greece’s main exports. Often called Greece’s ‘white gold’, the cheese has protected designation of origin (PDO) status under European Union law. To legally be called feta, it must contain a minimum of 70 percent sheep’s milk, with the remainder being goat’s milk. Cow’s milk cannot be used. 

With milk now harder to source, production prices will increase, putting pressure on producers, while ongoing milk shortages will likely lead to a drop in supply. 

Related story: What’s the real difference between feta and fetta?

Credit: Mark Roper

Will there be a feta shortage in Australia?

The majority of feta-style cheese sold in Australia is either made locally or imported from countries like Denmark. It should be noted that this is ‘feta-style’ cheese, as authentic PDO Greek feta can only be produced in specific regions of Greece that are tied to the cheese’s geographical origins. Many feta-style cheeses are also often made with cow’s milk, rather than sheep or goat.

However, if there are global shortages of authentic Greek feta due to this outbreak, this will affect imports of Greek feta into Australia. So perhaps head to your favourite Greek deli now to stock up for Christmas. 

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