The reaction of cheese farmers was strong, through their President Georgios Petrou, after yesterday's protests of the sheep and goat farmers and especially after the statements of the Minister of Agriculture Kostas Kadis about the improper functioning of competition.
At the same time, Mr Petrou noted that they fully understand the protests and the desperation of the farmers but noted that in no way are the cheese farmers speculating against them, as they imply. "For us they are a key part of our chain and we would certainly like their direct support," he said."
Cheesemakers' Association President George Petrou, speaking to CYP, claimed that "the Agriculture Minister is lying in an attempt to avoid the burden of failure" and problems when he says that while there is an increase in the price of haloumi, the cheesemakers did not increase the price of milk.
He was challenged, he said, to go to the Bureau of Statistics and get the data on haloumi exports and see that export volumes have gone down, but the average selling price has also generally gone down.
He also said that milk prices have not decreased and asked "why so much empathy towards cheese makers, why so much war on those who have highlighted and promoted Cypriot halloumi around the world for decades, On those who through their own hard work have managed to develop Cyprus' agri-food industry with full employment and growth rates in all sectors?"
At the same time he said that the Minister cannot come out and challenge the protesters who did what they did, to go to the cheese dairies instead of outside the Presidential Palace. If he wants to close the cheese dairies, the first to suffer after the cheese makers are our farmers, and the 15,000 people employed by the industry in general.
"We are also part of the halo industry and he cannot try in every way to insult us and want to destroy us. I don't think it is the right role of a minister who wants the good and development of the state, since at the same time he is fighting the cheese makers, at the same time he is targeting sheep farmers, cow farmers, farmers, traders , and 270 million exports," he said.
Asked whether he thought competition was working properly, Petrou said that competition was working very well and fairly and that milk prices were stable because of the pressure with high halal stocks. "The first ones to seek increases would be us since our own costs have also increased dramatically and are increasing non-stop. And of course with an increase in the price of halum, we would also pass on a significant increase in the price of milk since we really understand the farmers' problem. But unfortunately instead of increases in prices, we have reductions," he said.
At the same time, he said that no one asked them what their situation was, as he said COVID had pinned them down.
"The coolers are full of halloumi, we have millions in stock, we don't know what to do with it and instead of leaving milk to the farmers by restricting our production, we are working hard to manage to keep the industry alive. For 1.5 years we have been carrying the problems of the sector by supporting the livestock industry, buying all the milk and paying them on time," he said. Therefore, he added, the only one who can support the sector in general today is the state.
Petrou noted, however, that farmers are right to complain about the price and agreed that they should get increases, but stressed that they cannot increase the price of haloumi because the Ministry's own and Parliament's announcements about the large stocks have brought a reduction in the selling price, at the same time that energy, packaging materials and transport costs are increasing non-stop.
As he said, when the announcement of high stocks was conveyed, halo buyers from all over the world (Europe, Australia, England, America) were demanding price reductions by taking advantage of the pressure from the Cheese Makers.
"Our sales have fallen with all these insecurities that they are conveying in their own way all over the world. They keep talking about milk powder and they have given the impression to the world that we use milk powder to make the halloumi and I challenge them and I urge them, immediately, if they have detected milk powder in any factory to come out and announce it by name."
He added that if they have no evidence they should come out and apologise because what they say is carried abroad, customers hear it and sales are affected. He warned that when their sales are affected, both they and the farmers will be affected.
In terms of inspections, he said they are being carried out as normal in the dairies, although last year because of the covid measures, they were reduced.
Regarding the €800,000 subsidies to cheesemakers from the government, Petrou said that these subsidies are not to get rid of their stock, but they have announced a draft which involves small amounts to cover part of the refrigeration costs they have for the storage of halibut. "They gave 800,000 euros to be shared by all the cheese makers in Cyprus to cover part of the refrigeration costs, but we have not received a cent yet," he said."
No one can produce haloumi with the PDO standard
As for the production of haloumi with the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) standard.P.O.P.) approved by the European Commission, Petrou said that even the five or six small cheese dairies that say they produce P.O.P. are illegal, since either they are not pasteurized, or the milk they get is from breeds of animals that are not registered in the file, or their diet is not what it should be. He said that 85% of the milk is not produced from animals whose breeds are included in the file.
He added that the registered haloumi file has many problems and there are 13 points which they have informed the Ministry that they should be corrected so as not to hinder the production of PDO haloumi. These were agreed upon by all parties involved and they are all aware of them.
"Unfortunately we did not come up with the percentage and that is why none of the 13 points went for change. So for the time being there was no change in the specifications and the file has to be implemented as it is, with these 13 points no one can jump over them and produce P.O.P. halloumi as it should be," he said.
He added that at the moment, for the above reasons, they are unable to produce halloumi with the P standard.O.P. approved by the EU.
Petrou said that all these issues will be addressed at a meeting of the cheese makers this afternoon, followed by an announcement on many things he said people should be aware of.
Source: CNA
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