On 25 July, the European Commission announced the Annual Action Program for the Turkish Cypriots, amounting to 33.4 million euros. The program includes a special section with substantial assistance for the implementation of the Halloumi/Helim PDO package.
The Programme plans tailored measures as part of the wide-ranging EU support to implement the Halloumi/Hellim package, to help Turkish Cypriots meet the relevant EU standards. This support follows the Commission’s registration of Halloumi/Hellim as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) in April 2021. It includes improving the food safety and hygiene standards, upgrading dairy farms and dairy yield quality, increasing the yields of sheep and goat milk, and eradicating animal diseases.
Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, said that the Aid Program has shown to bring important tangible benefits to the people of Cyprus and remains as relevant as ever.
