Exports of halloumi exceed €350 million per year, agriculture ministry permanent secretary Andreas Gregoriou said on Tuesday, as he addressed the House agriculture committee on the state of Cyprus’ national dairy product.
“Maintaining and safeguarding the protected designation of origin status of halloumi is a strategic priority of our ministry and the government,” he said, before adding that the government aims to maintain “the uninterrupted continuation of exports”, with the halloumi industry “supporting thousands of jobs throughout Cyprus”.
He pointed out that following an extension to the deadline provided by the European Commission in 2024, the government now has until 2029 to ensure that PDO halloumi complies with the regulations which govern its PDO status, among which are greater proportions of sheep’s and goats’ milk in the final product.
“Within the extension of the transitional period until July 2029 to comply with the provisions of the dossier, the ministry proceeded to implement a comprehensive framework of actions aimed at strengthening the production of sheep and goat milk, [and] improving control and monitoring mechanisms,” he said.
To this end, he said that the government has also formed two committees on the matter, the first being an “interdepartmental committee” which comprises members from the agriculture ministry, the commerce ministry, the legal service, the foreign ministry, the veterinary services department, the agriculture department, and “halloumi expert” Fotis Papadimas from the Cyprus University of Technology.
He said the second committee, named the “monitoring committee for halloumi PDO”, comprises members from the chamber of commerce (Keve), the cheesemakers’ association, sheep and goat farmers’ representative groups, cattle farmers’ representative groups, and other agricultural organisations.
Millions in subsidies offered to sheep and goat farmers
Regarding efforts to boost output among sheep and goat farmers, he said that a €2m subsidy was given to them in December 2024 “as an incentive for investments to reduce seasonality” in their production, while “legislation was tightened” to ensure that farmers comply with PDO regulations.
Additionally, he said, the government plans to allow for the opening of 26 sheep and goat farms, housing around 800 animals each, on state-owned land, with the land having already been allocated to farmers.
He also said that the government provides sheep and goat farmers with around €4m per year in subsidies per year.
At the same time, he said, the overall quantity of cows’ milk used in PDO halloumi production has remained frozen at 234,000 tonnes per year since 2024.
“Halloumi is a national asset of the Republic of Cyprus, linked to the history, tradition, and future of the country. Only through a joint effort, understanding, and a sense of responsibility will be able to deliver future generations a product which is stronger, more valuable than ever, which creates economic benefits for our country,” he said.