The recent foot-and-mouth disease outbreak has significantly reduced the supply of sheep and goat milk, prompting halloumi cheese producers in Cyprus to consider petitioning the European Union to relax the mandated small-ruminant milk ratio in halloumi production. The European Commission currently enforces a 51 percent sheep and goat milk requirement under the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) rules, with a transition period until July 2029. However, producers say they will struggle to meet this quota within the established timeframe due to the ongoing shortage.

Michalis Kyllouros, spokesperson for the Cheese Producers Association, emphasized the urgency of submitting a formal request to the Commission, noting that any regulatory change would take one to two years to implement. In response to the crisis, the Cypriot government has temporarily lowered the minimum small-ruminant milk content in halloumi from 25 percent to 15 percent until the end of 2026. Producers maintain that adjusting the milk ratio to reflect current market realities is essential to protect halloumi exports and the industry’s sustainability.