Livestock farms have not been given incentives in recent years to strengthen their herds. On the contrary, resources were taken away by cutting subsidies, compensatory allowances, etc. All this, there are already fears that it will have an impact on manufacturing.
In recent months, the sector has been in the red Livestock and in particular that of sheep and goat farming, on which the country's feta production and many exports depend. From 2015 to 2019, goat and sheep farmers received exorbitant prices for the product, which was also in many cases unclaimed. With the tightening of controls (Voridis law), the increase in international milk prices and now the threat of a food crisis and the war in Ukraine, the situation has become even more complicated, with the result that the structural weaknesses of the system, which over the years have led to a reduction in herds and ultimately in production, are coming to the surface.
Concerned about the situation prevailing in the market is the owner - director of the company Olympia Feta from Kapeleto Ilia, Mr. Yannis Lianakis, who stressed the following: «Already there is difficulty for cheese makers and generally in processing to find raw material. This is due to the policies ... of some people a few years ago, which led farmers to ... no parade and the reduction of herds. When a few years ago the farmer was paid only 65 cents a kilo for sheep's milk and much less for goat's milk, it was natural and natural to abandon the profession.. This is what is happening now. The cost of production has gone up tremendously for the farmer, but also for us who produce the end product. Because of the steep costs in energy, fuel, packaging materials, etc. we are spending 40% more money to make cheese. The very agreements we have for export cannot be reversed. There is no room in exporting for cost pass-through to consumers. Soon there will be a problem with cheese production. In addition, I have to say that things have been tightened up with controls and that is another reason why the price of sheep's milk is going up. I also believe that anyone who imported in the past, now it is not so profitable to do so because milk is expensive abroad as well. In addition to the reduction in herds and the departure of many professionals in the sector in previous years, I believe that this year's milk yields have also been affected by the extreme weather, both in summer with high temperatures and in autumn and winter with many cold days. It should be noted that Mr Lianakis» company works with 400 Greek farmers, giving prices of up to 1.20-1.28 for sheep's milk.
The president of the Hellenic Livestock Association (HAC), Mr. Panagiotis Peveretos, also sounds a warning bell. As he notes with such precision and double prices in feed, certainly not all his colleagues can cope, especially those who do not self-produce feed. As Mr. Peveretos says, the SBC has submitted its proposals to the Ministry in good time, warning for months about the difficult situation of livestock farming and the problems of producers, which will eventually have an impact on our dairy products. According to Mr. Pevereto, it is surprising that now the Ministry of Agriculture is talking about an aid to farmers of about 40 million euros, while until a few days ago, there were assurances of a sum of 100 million euros for all sectors.
It is difficult to describe things in relation to the sheep's milk and the farmer Thomas Steriatos from the village of Karaiskakis Aitoloakarnania, who stresses that milk yields of several units have fallen to the bottom because of the weather, but also because of the fact that the animals are no longer well fed due to the accuracy. According to Mr Steriato, this situation combined with the accuracy on the shelf, will have an impact on processing with representatives of companies operating in the region to point out that it is not possible to rise at such a rate the price of milk.
