La Farm: The Court of Appeal temporarily revokes the ban on feta

By George Lampiris

La Farm comes to give a temporary victory to the decision of the Athens Administrative Court of Appeal, which decided on Thursday afternoon to suspend the decision of ELGO, based on which last Friday an announcement was issued by the Ministry of Rural Development, announcing the final lifting certification in the production of PDO feta for the company.

However, according to market sources in Capital.gr the specific decision of the Court of Appeal is of a temporary nature and in essence everything will be judged in the regular procedure. At the same time, they express the belief that in this case the state mechanisms are determined to enforce the law where necessary.

Because she was initially banned from producing PDO feta

For its part, La Farm reminds that it was targeted by the control levels of ELGO Dimitra and the Ministry of Rural Development as the Supreme Chemical Council of the General Chemistry of the state identified serious violations. Specifically, the company’s feta, package of 400 grams that was collected in the framework of controls by ELGO Dimitra ladders was found to contain exclusively cow’s milk and not sheep and goat as defined by law. At the same time the moisture content was 60.24 ± 0.38% which exceeds the maximum limit of 56%, as well as 5th fat on dry 41.52 ± 0.72% was found to be below the minimum limit of 43%, so that it can label the product as feta cheese. ELGO Dimitra considered that the name of the cheese as a PDO feta is misleading, which is why it proceeded to the decision to permanently withdraw the certification.

Now the decision of the Court of Appeal issued yesterday Thursday, gives the company the right to proceed with the production of feta again, until there are new procedures and in essence the examination of the case before the headquarters in the regular procedure.

The announcement of La Farm

La Farm, for its part, issued a statement on the issue stating that:

“La Farm SA, having absolute confidence in the Greek justice, challenged the decision of the CEO ELGO Dimitra who had imposed the revocation of its certification. A temporary decision was issued today by the Athens Administrative Court of Appeal suspending this decision by the Director .

This in fact coincides with the recommendations of the relevant service control mechanisms, which recommended our certification.

“La Farm continues its activities without hindrance, respecting the national and community legislation that regulates our national product PDO feta, thus ensuring our thousands of partner breeders, our hundreds of employees and suppliers, as well as customers abroad and in the national market”.