Editorial photo #13574051 Economy, Business and Finance
Heard Of Sheeps In Greece
A herd of sheep grazes on the rocky hillside pastures near Anogia village in the mountainous Psiloritis region of Crete island, Greece on April 6, 2026. Greece's livestock and sector faces a dual crisis, a devastating sheep and goat pox epidemic that has led to the culling of more than 480000 animals nationwide since August 2024 affecting cheese and meat production. Also the widening OPEKEPE agricultural EU subsidy fraud scandal with ministers resigning and government reforming after the European Public Prosecutor's Office and European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kovesi handed a 3000 page file to the Greek parliament implicating them in the misappropriation of EU farm subsidies with accusations of corruption, nepotism and clientelism, that for years people had been stealing EU funds that should have supported honest farmers. Crete, the island at the heart of both crises, has seen EPPO raids on its territory and widespread protests by livestock breeders facing ruin after the restrictions and the killings. (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto)