With Easter looming, yet another casualty of Covid-19 has become apparent. The Greek livestock industry fears that the traditional demand for lambs on goats at this year is set to plummet thanks to the social restrictions that the pandemic has brought to bear.
The president of the Hellenic Livestock Association, Takis Pervestos said that the industry estimates that of two million lambs and goats that would normally sell for the Catholic and Greek Orthodox easter celebrations, a quarter or 500,000 animals will not be sold.
The Covid-19 restrictions that have been put in place this year mean that most Greeks will be preparing a portion of the traditional roast lamb or goat in the oven in the home and not whole on the spit outside as is the custom.
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Because of the projected drop in sales, livestock breeders are calling on the Greek government to include them in the latest measures that it brought in to protect businesses that have been adversely affected by the restrictions brought to counter the spread of Covid-19.