North Cyprus Hellim

The ban on bringing in hellim from the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus to the UK is set to remain, even though hellim  - or halloumi – from the south of Cyprus can continue to be imported.
The ban on hellim imports was highlighted in a meeting by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), where community leaders were urged to pass on the message about personal food import rules.
A new campaign by DEFRA, the UK Borders Agency and Food Standards Agency, reminds people that it is illegal to bring certain food stuffs back from overseas.
The  ‘Don’t bring me back’ campaign is targeting those travellers who try to bring meat and dairy products to the UK from countries outside the EU. This includes North Cyprus, even though south Cyprus - as the Republic of Cyprus - is an EU member, and Turkey.
There are also restrictions on certain other foods such as fish, shellfish, honey, eggs and some fruits and vegetables.
Food and Farming minister Jim Fitzpatrick said “ We need to ensure that every member of the public travelling to countries outside the EU is aware that they could be breaking the law if they bring back food items to the UK. Although bringing food back is a cultural tradition, most of these foods are now available locally so there is just no need to bring them back from abroad.”
London Turkish Gazette asked about the hellim ban and was told by a spokesperson that the government recognises the south as the Republic of Cyprus and that any hellim would have to be vetted by the south by their food department before it were allowed to enter the UK.
DEFRA said that some 6,304 seizures of dairy products amounting to 54 tonnes were made last year, with nearly 77 tonnes of meat products, 53 tonnes of fish products and 9 tonnes of honey products seized.
The ‘Don’t bring me back’ campaign will focus on black and ethnic minority groups and leaflets in a variety of community languages, including Turkish have been produced. Key community locations will also be visited to get the message across.
 

By Fatih Cansiz and Suzan Nuri

LondraGazete.com

27.11.2009