Hellim struggle,

THE new Product of Designated Origin (PDO) status of hellim will be enforceable in Northern Ireland but not the rest of the UK, an intellectual property expert has told Cyprus Today.

William Miles, a partner at London-based intellectual property law firm Briffa, said: “It’s quite a tricky issue, particularly post-Brexit.

“Halloumi’s new PDO status means that producers of the cheese cannot market their goods using the halloumi or hellim names unless the whole production, processing and preparation process has taken place in the specific area prescribed by the EU.

“The European PDO will be enforceable in the EU and Northern Ireland. The applicants will need to apply to Defra [Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs] in the UK for equal protection in England, Scotland and Wales.

“Assuming the same protection is granted here [in the UK], UK producers of halloumi will need to observe the terms of the PDO and not use the halloumi name if their production process breaches these terms.

“They could, however, use other names, e.g. squeaky cheese, providing that they are not also protected by a PDO or a trade mark registration.

“Products like halloumi burgers should be OK providing that the halloumi in them was produced in accordance with the PDO.”

A Defra spokesperson told Cyprus Today: “The use of the GI [geographical indication] name [halloumi/hellim] will be protected in Northern Ireland to those products which are produced in compliance with the registered specification.

“There would be no protection in [Great Britain] until a direct application had been fully considered, consulted upon, and accepted . . . There is already an EU Collective Trademark which restricts the use of the Halloumi name to those permitted to use it by the mark owners.

“This was carried over at EU Exit to apply in the UK. This means there should be no impact from the PDO registration on UK producers of similar products.”