The European Union High Court Rejects Revocation Of Vocational Cheese Protection Status

Illustration of sweet cheese. (Pixabay/BestNerdLife)

JAKARTA - The European Union's high court rejected efforts to revoke the protection status of Heloumi, stopping charges against valuable cheese which is one of Cyprus's main exports.

Helloumi has the status of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), meaning that only official producers from Cyprus can market cheese under that name. However, the specifications of official products have sparked a strong reaction from the Cyprus dairy industry.

Authorities say the cheese should be made with a mixture of cow's milk, sheep, and goats, gradually replacing cow's milk which in recent years has become the dominant ingredient.

In a decision published on its website in February, the EU General Court rejected a petition to revoke PDO Melodumi, which was filed by Cyprus cattle breeders and its affiliated dairy company.

The petition argued that Cyprus filed the wrong specifications regarding the ingredients of Melodium when applying for PDO in 2014.

Known for its versatility, this soft and chewy cheese can be eaten raw, roasted, boiled or fried without losing its shape. This is Cyprus's biggest export after the medicines.

Helloumi got a PDO status from the EU in 2021. Based on product specifications, Cyprus intends to gradually increase the number of sheep's milk and goat's milk in the mixture so that it is equivalent to cow's milk.

The move has sparked heated debate from industry stakeholders who say sheep's milk and goat's milk are seasonal in nature, and could therefore impact production capacity.

"We don't want our exports to go down, this is one of our main exports, but this (specification) will cause problems in production," said Nicos Papakypriakou, general manager of the Cyprus Cattle Breeders Association.

Currently, 10 percent of sheep and goat's milk is put in the mix. When authorities set an increase of up to 19 percent in October, cheese makers threatened to close their milk mills because there was not enough milk available to maintain the production of all milk products without a hitch.

Previously, regarding the ratio of goat's milk composition, sheep's milk and cow's milk in the recipe. Until 2024, the ratio will be determined by decision, and after that at least 50 percent will consist of sheep's milk and goats, and the rest will be added with cow's milk.

Although recipes for halloumi are abundant online, for locals, enjoyment in the form of the simplest multipurpose cheese, thrown in a pan or on a bowl, eaten raw with melon in the summer, or diced and thrown to the boil with trahana, broken wheat and yogurt soup eaten in winter, is more fitting.