Cyprus-Forum.com

by **Sotos** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 3:39 pm

CYPRIOT cheesemakers were yesterday taking stock of Tuesday’s decision by the European Court of Justice to reserve the name ‘feta’ for specific Greek dairy manufacturers.

The landmark ruling means that local dairies can no longer market the white salty goat’s cheese traditionally made in Cyprus under the name ‘feta’.

Athos Pittas of Pittas Dairies said the company was due to meet yesterday to discuss the issue. The name must be changed by January 2007. “We need to discuss what to do,” he said, adding that he had not yet had time fully to look into Tuesday’s court ruling.

Panicos Hadjicostas, the managing director of Christis Dairies, said: “This product has been registered as a Greek product and we have to comply with it and we will be the first to do so.”

Hadjicostas said Christis would not be using the name ‘feta’ from 2007, nor any name similar. “We want to play a fair game and be fair to our Greek colleagues, and we don’t want to make a fuss about it,” he said. “Our quality is there and we have to convince people that this is our ‘feta’ but without the official name.”

Hadjicostas said his company would not be consulting with the other dairy companies on the island about the feta problem. He said each company would have to work out its own strategy. “It’s an issue of remarketing and we are working on it,” he said. “There are some marketing tools and we have to find the best alternative.”

It would not involve a huge cost, said Hadjicostas.

He also said dairies in Cyprus must take into consideration that a few years down the line the same issue would be discussed in Europe with regard to halloumi. “We hope will be able to protect that name as a Cyprus product, and we will also need the help of our colleagues in Greece,” he said.

The European Court of Justice on Tuesday ruled that feta be given the same kind of protection as Parma ham or champagne. Although Denmark is one of the best-known makers, feta is also produced in other EU countries, such as Germany. Greece has campaigned since 1994 for geographical protection for the cheese.

Even Britain has been affected by the ruling. A Yorkshire company which also makes feta, fought the original decision of EU executive in 2002 along with Denmark. It has taken three years to achieve the court ruling on the issue.

Some years ago when I first heard about this issue our dairy producers wanted to market feta with the name fetta since in Cyprus it is pronounced in a different way. I guess they abandoned this idea.

by **devil** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 4:26 pm

Sotos wrote:Hadjicostas said his company would not be consulting with the other dairy companies on the island about the feta problem. He said each company would have to work out its own strategy.

This is the stupidest thing I've heard in the last few days. If they all got their heads together and chose a single name, there would be nothing to stop them from registering it as a regional speciality. For example, in the cheese domain, when the name gruyère became protected, the French manufacturers called their produce comté and this is being well marketed as a cheese in its own right. So it could be for cyfeta or whatever they choose to call it and it could be a valuable export commodity, alongside halloumi. If every maker has his own name, their goose is cooked.

by **Sotos** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 4:31 pm

I propose the name: "fate cheese"

by **cypezokyli** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 5:45 pm

i think its a good idea to protect the name. try to eat danish feta and u will realise that it has nothing do to with feta. ofcource it is half the price. but here they also called it sheepcheese (or sth similar) which after a while becomes known in the market.
in poland i even saw in a shop "feta light"!!! honestly:)
i thought : you made everything light leave some stupid fat in the feta

i hope it works the same way with halloumi. in germany we find it only in turkish doner shops, but with all the respect that is not halloumi.
talking with some tc i guess we agreed on that one

by **Sotos** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 12:06 pm

We’ve been marketing feta since before the Greeks

OPPOSITION DISY yesterday said the government should have fought to claim the use of the name ‘feta’ along with Greece, which this week won the exclusive use of the word to describe the popular goat’s milk cheese.

Under the ruling, Cyprus, which has traditionally produced feta, will no longer be able to market the cheese under the same name. The ruling will come into effect in 2007.

According to a statement from DISY, Cyprus produces 1,000 tonnes of feta annually, which creates a market for eight million litres of milk. “It is the second most popular and loved cheese in Cyprus.”

The statement said that Cyprus had been monitoring and marketing the feta long before Greece, and records as far back as 1904 showed that Cyprus was exporting feta to Egypt.

The cheese, along with Cyprus halloumi, had a common ancestor, which was mentioned in Homer’s Iliad and in the Odyssey.

“Fetta” and Fettas are also well-established family name in Cyprus it added. It also said the correct spelling was ‘fetta’ in the Cypriot dialect.

“The government should have negotiated with Greece for the protection of the name for Greece and for Cyprus,” the statement said.

DISY deputy Maria Kyriacou said in a press conference later in the day that while Cyprus was monitoring feta production in 1904, Greece did not begin to do this until around 1931.

“The government and more particularly the Commerce Ministry should wake up and undertake an initiative to protect this traditional product before it’s too late,” said Kyriacou.

Kyriacou produced a handwritten letter dated 1917 from a tradesman in Larnaca asking the then British High Commissioner for authorisation for the export of 3,000 okes of feta and halloumi.

“With this evidence, the government could claim with Greece simultaneous use of name feta in Cyprus in order to protect the Cypriot product,” Kyriacou said.

Dairy companies in Cyprus are taking stock of Tuesday’s decision by the European Court of Justice to reserve the name ‘feta’ for Greece.

The main dairies in Cyprus said they were unlikely to work together on a new name or an imitation name but would just continue to market the cheese without the use of the word ‘feta’.

by **sneezing7** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 8:00 pm

I agree with cypezokyli, it's a good idea to protect the name. When this arguement first started (years ago....), a lot of Australian producers started changing their labels to "White Brine Cheese", "Greek Slad Cheese", and "Feta TYPE cheese".....

I would not be suprised if Cyprus put in a claim to protect Haloumi

by **devil** » Sat Oct 29, 2005 8:43 am

The ECJ was fully cognisant of the Cypriot claims before making their decision. I understand that their decision is based on differences of flavour between Greek and Cypriot cheeses, so it would weaken the appelation to have two different cheeses with the same name. It is up to the Cypriot producers to coin a new name and have it registered as unique, but this requires a concerted effort.