Turkish Cypriot halloumi producer Meric on Tuesday became the fourth Turkish Cypriot halloumi mark to receive the European Union’s protected designation of origin (PDO) certificate.

The company is named after the Mesaoria plains village of Mora, known in Turkish as Meric, which is where its factory is located.

It joins the three other Turkish Cypriot producers on the EU’s PDO register: Gulgun, located in the nearby village of Epicho, Arden, located in the Nicosia suburb of Mia Milia, and Garanti, located in the Nicosia district village of Argaki.

The Cyprus Turkish chamber of industry (KTSO) on Tuesday reacted to the news by saying that with four companies now PDO compliant, “the process to open the way for the trade of halloumi within the scope of the Green Line Regulation must be completed as soon as possible”.

It added that it is “expressing this on every platform with the EU”.

A European Commission spokesperson told the Cyprus Mail last year that this will be done “once the Turkish Cypriot community reaches the required EU food safety and animal health standards”.

The commission had announced in September the provision of €6.5 million in funding to increase Turkish Cypriot halloumi producers’ compliance with the EU’s PDO requirements throughout the course of 2025.

The programme seeks to facilitate Cyprus’ reunification by encouraging the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community,” a European Commission spokesperson told the Cyprus Mail at the time.

In this regard, “specific attention is paid to the economic integration of the island, improving contact and exchanges between the two communities and with the EU, and preparation for the implementation of the acquis in the Turkish Cypriot community following a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue,” the spokesperson added.

They described their funding for halloumi producers as their “most prominent recent bridge-building initiative”, with the EU market value of halloumi currently being estimated at €115m.

To this end, the commission has “mobilised significant resources … to support producers to comply with the PDO requirements, and the entire community to comply with the relevant EU standards.”

These resources now amount to around €30m since 2021.