In April, the meeting of all those involved in the production of halloumi is expected to take place under the President of the Republic, after the decisive decisions announced at the level European institutions for the future of the traditional products of Cyprus.
As the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Maria Panagiotou, told KYPE, the Council of Ministers of Agriculture approved on March 26 the new regulation on geographical indications and quality systems, which will be published in the next few days in the official EU gazette and will have immediate effect.
He noted that this regulation has included a relevant provision for extending the transitional period regarding the use of geographical indications which was made following a proposal by the Republic of Cyprus in September 2022.
” In practice, this means extending until 2029 instead of July 2024 the possibility to determine the proportion of milk used for the preparation of halloumi through a decree approved by the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry”, he said.
He reminded that at the moment, the current decree the proportion of goat milk in halloumi production is at 25%.
He noted that this extension was a request and part of the agreement of cheesemakers, cattle farmers and sheep and goat farmers signed in July 2022.
“The Government's decisions regarding halloumi will be announced after a meeting held by the President of the Republic in April in which all those involved in halloumi production, goat and sheep farmers, cattle farmers and cheese makers will participate,” he said.
The Minister added that contacts have already been made with all groups, both at the ministry level and with the President of the Republic, in which the requests were submitted and their concerns expressed and recorded .
Ms. Panagiotou also said that based on the new milestones that have been closed such as the Court's decision on the halloumi standard and the extension given on the issue of the quota, the Government's decisions will also be announced.
Asked whether consensus can be reached more easily after the recent decisions at the EU level, the Minister stated that there is no other option but to find consensus since the common goal “must be for everyone to protect of halloumi PDO”.
At the same time, he noted that the Ministry's support programs for sheep and goat farming are running, while other measures for milk quality and increasing the production.
On Tuesday the Minister of Agriculture will proceed with an account to the Mass Media of the work of the Ministry on the occasion of the completion of one of the beginning of the current administration under the President Nikos Christodoulidis.
Source: KYPE
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