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The meeting of the President of the Republic took place in a positive atmosphere, Nicos Anastasiades, with the cheesemakers, in the presence of the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Energy, on the issue that arose with halloumi after the opinion of the Attorney General.
The whole issue seems to have been resolved and there will soon be a conclusion to the fact that 8 months after the implementation of the relevant legislation, the halloumi on the market do not meet PDO standards.
In statements after the meeting, the Minister of Agriculture, Costas Kadis, said, among other things, that ways were discussed through which the concerns raised by the Cheese Farmers' Association could be overcome.
"I must say that the meeting was well underway and very specific suggestions were put down, such as ways of responding to these concerns that have been raised. In the coming days the President will meet with the other groups involved in the production of haloumi. We will discuss the solutions that have been proposed today and discussed with the other stakeholders and the aim is to reach joint decisions through which this valuable product, which is produced in our country and bears the name halloumi, will be protected," he said. He also pointed out that "it is certain that the goal is to produce halloumi as a PDO, with procedures that are also taken into account in the opinion of the Legal Service."
Asked whether compensation would be given or whether there would be a transitional stage to allow for adjustment to the new situation, he said that "we are well on the way to finding solutions that meet the concerns."
Asked whether compensation would be given or whether there would be a transitional stage to allow for adjustment to the new situation, Mr. Kadis said that "it is taken into account that there are stocks, and through the solutions we are discussing, this issue is also being addressed in a satisfactory way."
[/P]Asked whether there will be any movement on the market until the dialogue is completed, Mr. Kadis replied in the negative.
In turn, the President of the Cheese Makers Association, George Petrou, expressed his thanks to the President of the Republic for the invitation they received and for giving them the opportunity to present the real facts, from their point of view, as key players in the production and promotion of our national cheese.
"It was really a constructive meeting where we want to believe that a big step was taken towards a definitive solution, based on the instructions of the Attorney General", Mr. "We came to the meeting in a very positive mood and with specific proposals to put an end to the discussions and move all of us in the same direction, which is none other than the strengthening of haloumi," he stressed.
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