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After the Flock: A Greek Island Mourns its Sheep, Ponders its Future
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Balkan Insight
From the terrace, the Aegean stretched out beyond a line of pine trees, although hardly anyone seems to notice the view anymore.
Just weeks earlier, the couple had watched as their flock of around 500 sheep and goats was destroyed as part of the effort to contain the outbreak.
Preserved in olive oil for months, the cheese brings together the two products that have shaped Lesvos for centuries, a marriage of sheep milk and olives.
In 2025 alone, Lesvos produced around 52,000 tonnes of sheep and goat milk.
When thousands of animals were slaughtered, those income streams disappeared overnight, with consequences for dairies, cheesemakers, feed suppliers and transporters.