Cyprus Requests Halloumi PDO Certificate

Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment Nikos Kouyialis stated at a press conference: "It is clear that the present application fulfills all necessary preconditions". He further commented that the final approval process takes 14 months.

The Minister claimed that until the Commission offers an answer, the name halloumi/hellim will be secured. Only Cyprus can use this cheese term, and no other EU state can apply for it as a trademark.

Kouyialis commented, "I believe that the country's agriculture and farming will reach new dimensions and I am certain that all producers will benefit and no one stands to lose". He added that the Ministry has created new measures so that Cypriot farmers use the stated terminologies.

The Minister also confirmed that halloumi cheese can't be under PDO protocols unless that ratio of sheep and goat milk is higher than 50%. In the United States, halloumi has been registered as a protected product of Cyprus since the 1990's.

(Source: www.parikiaki.com)