Sheep and goat farmers are marching towards the Presidential Palace today with the aim of protecting halloumi.
The decision of the Sheep and Goat Farmers' Coordination Committee to hold the march was ratified at an open gathering held on the evening of February 5 in Choirokitia.
This is, as stated in a statement by the Sheep and Goat Farmers, "a symbolic protest that has no other goal than the protection of the registered PDO product, our halloumi."
The sheep and goat farmers are asking "the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Dr. Panayiotou to implement the Decree she proposed, and upon its expiration on August 31, 2025, a new Decree to come into force until 2029 with a percentage increase in the participation of sheep and goat milk in the production of halloumi of 5% per year."
It is the only way, noted in the announcement of the Sheep and Goat Farmers' Coordinating Committee, "to achieve the goal of the five-year extension of the transitional period, namely full compliance with the specifications of PDO halloumi in 2029. It is the only way to protect all those involved in the production of halloumi, by communicating a roadmap that everyone can adapt to without losses and it is the only way to protect Cyprus's first exportable product with all that it entails."
It is now certain, it adds, "that if the voices of anguish of sheep and goat farmers are not taken into account, the reactions will intensify and become generalized on all fronts."
They also note that "the initial gathering point will be before the traffic lights of the former Orphanides supermarket in Nicosia, coming from the GSP stadium, at 10:30 in the morning and at 11 the goat and sheep farmers will proceed to the Presidential Palace in cooperation and under the instructions of the Police."
Source: KYPE
