Farmers’ organisations and groups representing sheep and goat breeders have asked President Nikos Christodoulides to revoke a decree issued on 13 May 2026, which reduced the required share of sheep and goat milk in PDO halloumi from 25% to 15%.
In a letter delivered to the President on Monday, the Cyprus Farmers’ Union, the United Cyprus Farmers’ Union and the New Agricultural Movement, together with groups of sheep and goat breeders, expressed strong opposition to the government’s decision. They said they had already made clear, including through the ad hoc committee on halloumi, that they opposed the reduction and had raised serious questions over the move. Instead of receiving answers, they said, the Ministries of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, and Energy, Commerce and Industry proceeded with the change without a decision by the ad hoc committee.
The organisations are seeking clear answers from the Agriculture Ministry and the competent authority over the reported increase in cow’s milk, as shown in ministry tables. They argue that losses of cattle due to foot-and-mouth disease have also led to significant losses of cow’s milk. They also ask whether checks have been carried out on the movement of milk powder to establish whether it has been used in halloumi production, and what the findings were.
The letter further questions why the share of sheep and goat milk in halloumi is being reduced at a time when halloumi production has risen by 10% over the past year. The organisations also ask why the agreed ceiling on the use of cow’s milk for PDO halloumi production was exceeded by 10%, saying this is evident from Agriculture Ministry data. They also raise the issue of whether the relevant European regulation governing the transitional period is being applied.
The organisations say that, following its registration as a protected designation of origin product, halloumi must remain linked to tradition, uniqueness and quality, from milk production to processing, while securing fair value for producers, livestock farmers and cheesemakers.
They warn that the product’s “devaluation” must be halted so that halloumi does not become a generic product. PDO halloumi, they add, cannot be treated merely as a product for the hospitality sector to meet all market needs at the expense of livestock farmers, who are already under pressure because of foot-and-mouth disease.
The organisations say the common goal should be to set out a roadmap so that the provisions of the PDO regulation for halloumi are fully implemented by 2029, describing this as a “red line”.
“With this decision, the market is being manipulated. An unjustified reduction in the collection of sheep and goat milk is already being observed,” the letter states.
The farmers’ organisations and breeder groups are calling on the President to revoke the decree issued on 13 May 2026 and to protect PDO halloumi and the livestock sector.
