Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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84. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has made a submission to the European Union objecting to Cyprus’s application for protected designated of origin in respect of Halloumi cheese, given the damage this application could do to the cheese industry here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3355/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The European Commission published Cyprus’ application for Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status for Halloumi/Hellim cheese on 28 July 2015. On the same day the President of the Commission and the two leaders in Cyprus reached a common understanding that an internationally accredited body would be appointed as the control body in both parts of Cyprus. The Commission also adopted a proposal to amend “the Green Line Regulation“ (Regulation 866/2004) which controls movement across the border and aims to promote the Turkish-Cypriot economy.

I am supportive of EU Regulation 1151/2012 and a number of Irish products, supported by other Member States, benefit from the protections afforded by the regime. In relation to this particular application, the regulatory three month period for lodging a notice of opposition has already expired. Objections to the recognition of PDO’s must be grounded on possible infringements of the Regulation’s conditions, such as that the name has become generic, that is , the common name of a product in the Union.

I understand that the Commission has received a notice of opposition from the United Kingdom, where cheese described as Halloumi has been produced on a significant scale. The Commission will examine the objection and present its conclusions to the quality committee in due course, before taking a decision. Any such decision may be appealed to the European Court of Justice and upheld, or rejected. By way of example, objections to the approval of “Feta” as a PDO, were overruled by the Court on the basis that the term had not become generic.