Greek sheep farmers devastated by sheeppox outbreak as flocks culled

By Lefteris Papadimas and Alexandros Avramidis

KILELER, THESSALY, Greece (Reuters) – Greek sheep farmers are in despair in central Greece as sheeppox destroys their flocks, while the Greek authorities are warning of a possible nationwide ban on the movement of animals.

The outbreak of the highly infectious virus in the country is threatening to drive up food prices and affect the production of feta, Greece’s famous crumbly cheese.

Giorgos Tasioulis, fighting back tears, stands in front of his empty sheep sheds.

“Our unit… is now back to zero, our family is back to zero,” the 45-year-old father of three says. Just weeks earlier, all 900 of his sheep were culled and buried only meters from his farm in Kileler municipality, central Greece.

Tasioulis had invested nearly 2 million euros ($