How Australia is being impacted by global feta cheese crisis

Feta, arguably the best cheese addition to fresh salads, is facing a global crisis due to a highly contagious goat and sheep virus in Greece, where it is made.

This has led to concerns of a possible feta cheese shortage and resulting increase in price ahead of the festive season.

We've taken a look in to the crisis and found out what it is, what's being done about it and how it will impact feta supplies in Australia, plus the steps local cheese producers are taking.

What is feta cheese?

The word "Feta" falls under Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) within the European Union, which means the name can only be used for cheese produced in Greece according to specific traditional methods and ingredients.

This goes some way to explaining the current feta crisis in Europe and around the world.

Cheeses produced outside of Greece can be called feta-style, or there is Danish-style feta, which is typically smoother than traditional crumbly feta.

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Feta produced in Germany is known as shepard's cheese or sheep's cheese.

Traditional feta is made by coagulating sheep's milk, or with a mix of up to 30 per cent goats milk, into curds which are then cut, drained in molds or woven baskets.

It is then salted and aged in brine for months to give it a tangy, salty taste and crumbly texture.

It is most popular in Greek salad and also enjoyed a resurgence in the form of baked feta and pasta dishes in 2021, thanks to a social media trend where a pasta sauce was created in a single baking dish with feta placed in the middle.

The feta cheese crisis

Sheep and Goat Pox, which is part of the Capripoxvirus family of diseases, began impacting livestock in Greece in August 2024.

It is highly contagious and is known to cause fever, skin pox and in more severe cases lesions in the lungs and gut.

The outbreak of this disease has killed hundreds of thousands of sheep and goat in Greece and led to mass culls in an attempt to contain the disease.

This severe reduction in sheep and goat stock means less milk has been produced for future Feta cheese production.

Approximately 80 per cent of Greece's sheep and goat milk goes towards making feta.

A spokesperson for the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry told nine.com.au they are aware of the outbreak. They stress these viruses "are not a human health risk and cannot be transmitted to humans by eating affected animal products".

"Australia has strict biosecurity requirements for imported food commodities to manage the risk of diseases such as Sheep Pox and Goat Pox to Australian animals.

"Dairy products (other than cheese) including sheep and goat milk are not permitted to be commercially imported from Greece.

​"The department has assessed the biosecurity risk of Sheep Pox and Goat Pox in cheeses such as Greek feta and considers that they are managed during production through pasteurisation, salting, and pH.

"Cheese imports from Greece are also required to be accompanied by certification from the Greek Government.

​"The department is committed to facilitating trade where it is safe to do so and imports to Australia of Greek feta can continue.​"

A global feta shortage is the result of this crisis, with supplies expected to be severely impacted well into 2026. Importers of the cheese are bracing for price hikes.

There have already been reports of a 10 per cent increase in the price of feta as result of the crisis.

Impact on local producers

Julie Cameron, Director of Meredith Dairy in Victoria, told nine.com.au they have "only just heard about the issue in Greece".

"The shortage of Feta hasn't affect Meredith Dairy yet, as we don't make the true style of crumbly Greek style feta," Cameron said.

"We actually have avoided using the name Feta, as it is a protected name in Europe used only for Feta made in Greece from sheep and/or goats cheese.

"At Meredith Dairy we make soft fresh goat cheese, which we make into cubes and marinate in Australian ingredients, including olive oil.

"Our cheese is often referred to as 'Feta' because it is sold in a jar and is consumed in a similar way to Greek Feta, i.e. in salads, on a charcutier board, on pizzas etc.

"May be our sales will increase with less Feta imported into Australia."

While a feta cheese shortage is looming, Australian supermarkets already stock several alternatives, meaning shoppers won't be left short when creating their favourite salads and dishes as they can select any of the many feta-style products on offer.

Yanni Kotis, Operations Manager of Elco Food Company – which sells Dodoni Feta, one of the largest producers of authentic Feta in Greece – told nine.com.au Dodoni has
"strong and close relationships with their farmers".

"The indication from Greece is that there is enough milk supply to continue making PDO Feta as per usual. Regarding pricing, we can only assume that prices may increase due to the losses of the farmers.

"However we do not know the extent of how and when so far. So to double down, there are no indications that there will be a Dodoni Feta shortage in Australia."

Feta alternatives for salads and other dishes

Food expert Jane de Graaff told nine.com.au she uses feta cheese on "just about everything savoury".

"I love its tang and sharp saltiness with a pungent and creamy finish," she says.

"But nothing beats crumbling it over freshly sliced tomato on hot, buttered sourdough at this time of year! For me it's a great finishing cheese to add that final punch to a dish."

de Graaff says authentic feta can be "very strong in flavour for people who don't usually use sheep or goat milk products, which is great if that's what you love".

"But plenty of people prefer a feta-style cheese made with cows milk," she adds.

"Danish-style feta is a great example which is creamier, and Australian style feta has a salty and crumbly texture, but a milder flavour.

"It comes down to personal preference and what your palate is used to."

If she can't get a hold of feta, de Graaff chooses "any tangy goats cheese": "It won't be as salty (if it's not in brine), but it'll give that creamy, tangy finish."

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