The Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, as the Competent Authority responsible for compliance with the provisions of the Regulation on the use of the labelling of Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indications (PGI), announces that on 28 March 2023, the competent control body for compliance with the product specification of 'Halloumi'/'Hellim' (PDO), Bureau Veritas, has issued the first certificate of compliance with the product specification from a cheese dairy located in areas of the Republic of Cyprus not under the effective control of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus. Similar certificates have been issued to date by the same body for a further 58 cheese dairies located in areas under the effective control of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus.
In order for the approved dairy to be able to market the product it produces both in the areas of the Republic of Cyprus controlled by the Government of Cyprus and to the rest of the European Union, through the Green Line and the legal exit points of the Republic, both the milk-producing livestock establishments and the dairy establishment must meet all the animal and public health standards of the European Union. To this end, the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment intends to entrust the implementation of these controls in those areas of the Republic of Cyprus where the Government does not exercise effective control to an independent control body.
The Republic of Cyprus has over the years made strenuous efforts to promote halalumi as a PDO in order to ensure that both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot producers benefit from its registration. Therefore, the Republic of Cyprus has taken a constructive attitude towards the revision of the Green Line Regulation so that our Turkish Cypriot compatriots can also benefit. The implementation of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/591 of 12 April 2021 on the entry of a name in the Register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications ["HALLOUMI"/"HELLIM" (PDO)] enables our Turkish Cypriot compatriots to benefit once again, in practice, from our country's membership of the European Union.
In the context of President Christodoulides' new initiative for a substantial involvement of the European Union in the effort to relaunch the talks, but also in the Cyprus negotiation process, this kind of development demonstrates the role that the Union can play.
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