Cyprus to Tighten Penalties for Violations in Halloumi Production

The Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Cyprus is planning to impose stricter penalties for violations related to halloumi production.

Minister of Agriculture, Maria Panayiotou, informed the House of Representatives' Agricultural Committee about the ongoing issues concerning the marketing of halloumi with its Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status.

According to the minister, she is dissatisfied with the current legislation because "it does not provide adequate tools to regulate producers effectively." In response, she has reached out to the Legal Commissioner to initiate harsher penalties.

"We hope to have the first draft for legal review ready by the end of the year," Maria Panayiotou stated.

It was also reported that there is a "very serious issue" outside of Cyprus. In 2024, authorities used the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) to file reports in more than a dozen European countries. As a result of these checks, halloumi products that failed to meet PDO standards were pulled from store shelves.

A representative from a legal firm mentioned that after the EU court ruling, an appeal filed by Cypriot companies against the PDO status was rejected. However, the case is currently under further review by the EU court.

Cypriot officials also stressed that halloumi producers in the northern part of the island "cannot do whatever they please" and that only one country is officially recognized to produce PDO halloumi — the Republic of Cyprus.