Consumers’ evaluation and perception of the threatened with abandonment Orino of Epirus (OE) sheep of Greece

Introduction:

The loss of local sheep breeds, such as the Orino of Epirus (Mpoutsiko) [OE] sheep, poses a threat to the nutritional and livelihood security of present and future generations. The objective of this study is to assess consumers' evaluations and perceptions of the OE sheep in the Epirus region of Greece.

Method:

During the Eastern period in April 2025, OE sheep were sold by selected local butcher shops to consumers for the traditional Eastern meal, which is based on roasted lamb on Eastern day. Afterwards, consumers’ evaluations and perceptions of the meat they ate were assessed via a survey conducted in person in May 2025 among 30 consumers who had eaten OE sheep. The consumers evaluated the 10 quality criteria for consuming OE sheep compared to the conventional sheep they usually eat. These criteria were “appearance”, “smell”, “taste”, “aroma”, “tenderness”, “juiciness”, “less fat”, “named meat”, “value for money”, and “willingness to pay more.” The scale used for the answers for each criterion was expanded from “partly not preferred” to “highly preferred”.

Results:

Consumers indicated a significant preference for the OE meat as compared with the conventional, no-name meat they had used so far. Most answers for the use of OE sheep were between “moderately” to “highly preferred” while most answers for the use of the conventional sheep were between “slightly preferred” to “a little more preferred”. The results for each of the criteria will be presented at the conference.