The controls carried out by state agencies for the detection of galactocon in the production of halloumi have become the subject of controversy in the Agriculture Committee of the Parliament. Following today's debate on the issue, the Committee requested the presence of the Minister of Agriculture next Tuesday, in order to provide regular updates on how and when the checks are carried out, as well as on the findings resulting from them.
The matter was referred to the Committee for an ex-officio examination, following a suggestion by MPs Giannakis Gavriel, Andreas Pasiourtidis, Valentinos Fakontis, Christos Orphanidis, Christos Senekis and Charalambos Theopeptou.
The Chairman of the Committee and AKEL MP, Giannakis Gavriel, in statements after the meeting, spoke of "an orgy of illegality and adulteration that has been going on all these years", which, he said, is evidenced by the mere fact that "the production of halalumi far exceeds the available quantities of milk". He said that the checks carried out in previous years on the illegal use of galactodust in halloumi were incomplete, since, he said, "the competent ministries were forced to reveal that there was a problem with the certification of the chemical method and that in fact they were not carrying out any checks to combat illegality".
He also said that at the meeting the commission was informed that the problems with the chemical method used by the State Chemistry Department "e known to the government for years, but they did not do anything towards developing a new method".
He stated that "certain economic interests" had the opportunity to continue to break the law "at the expense of the use of milk in halloumi, but also at the expense of the marketable quality of Cyprus' most marketable product". Finally, he called on the government to initiate strict controls on the quotas of different types of milk in halloumi, but also to develop a new method of detecting galactodust, which according to those in charge is perfectly feasible.
DISY MP, Charalambos Pazaros, said after the meeting that "the state's health services can only exercise control over these products by checking their labelling in the retail market". He explained that, due to free trade and the single market in EU member states, "the competent authorities of the state only exercise controls in third countries."
He added that intensive controls have been carried out in recent days and their results are expected within the next few days. "If its use is found in products in which it is not allowed, or alteration in the quality or standards of our dairy products, then yes, we will intervene," he said. He said it was also considered important that the Ministers of Commerce and Agriculture had already given the green light for the State Chemistry Department to proceed with the investigation of new methods of detecting galactodust.
"We are ready to listen to all parties involved, to hear their views and complaints and accordingly to judge whether it is necessary to call for new controls on the import and use of galactococones," he concluded.
DIKO MP, Christos Orphanides, spoke of mockery on the part of government departments, both towards the Agriculture Committee and society.
"Until now, the state departments have been assuring the Agriculture Committee that the Milk Dust Control was being carried out at regular intervals and in all the places where halalumi is made," he said, but expressed surprise at the information given to the Committee last week that the state departments could not carry out this control.
"We were informed today that a letter has been sent by the Ministry of Agriculture in January 2019, stating that the veterinary services carried out inspections at designated sites without detecting the use of milk powder in the production of halloumi," he said. In particular, Orphanides referred to the letter from the Ministry of Agriculture, which mentions 210 administrative checks in 70 establishments over a three-year period.
The Ministry also informed the Commission, according to Orphanides, that in 2011 the General Chemistry Department procured the necessary equipment to develop the method in the food quality and nutritional value recommendation laboratory, which detects the presence of milk powder in halloumi in excess of 3%.
"How is it possible that we were told last week that the use of milk powder cannot be detected, while we are also assured in writing that these checks are being carried out?", Orphanides questioned, concluding that "it is up to the government departments to decide what they say."
Source: CNA
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