On Monday, the sheep and goat farmers’ coordinating committee denounced decisions made last week at a presidential meeting with cheesemakers about halloumi production without their presence. They agreed with President Nikos Christodoulides’ willingness to hold a meeting on January 29, expressing their adherence to the EU regulations regarding Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) halloumi.
The government recently proposed to lengthen the current decree’s validity that controls halloumi’s milk ratios up to February 21, intending to prevent potential cheesemaker strikes. Under the existing decree from last October, the mandatory quota of sheep and goat’s milk was set for 19 per cent until February 1, afterwards, it would have risen to 25 per cent.
The persisting dispute focuses on the opposing viewpoints of the agriculture ministry and cheesemakers concerning the realistic production of PDO and non-PDO halloumi, and milk availability. The EU had granted Cyprus a transitional period until July 2024 about the consistency of PDO halloumi. It is expected by the start of February, the minimum sheep and goat’s milk content should be 25 per cent, gradually increasing to a 50-50 split with cow’s milk by the July cutoff.
