Local Euro MP: Melton Mowbray Pie ruling shows that Yorkshire food companies need to do more to protect their own brand names (Diana Wallis MEP)

Diana Wallis MEP <info@dianawallismep.org.uk>

Local Euro MP: Melton Mowbray Pie ruling shows that Yorkshire food companies need to do more to protect their own brand names

December 20, 2005 12:00 AM

Following today's High Court ruling that the Midlands-based company which makes Melton Mowbray Pork Pies can apply for EU protection for their name, local Euro MP, Diana Wallis, has said that food companies in the region need to do more to protect their own names to get even.

Today's ruling means that Yorkshire-based Northern Foods will not be able to manufacture Melton Mowbray Pork Pies once EU protection is granted. This follows a recent European ruling that Feta cheese can only be made in Greece so dealing a blow to a 'feta' cheese manufacturer in North Yorkshire.

Liberal Democrat MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber, Diana Wallis, said:

"These two rulings have dealt a blow to Yorkshire food manufacturers. However I believe it is time for local companies to get even. Just one company in the whole of the Yorkshire & Humber region has its name protected. We are missing the boat here and it is time for more companies to get registered and to do what other companies in the UK and the rest of Europe are doing.

"I am sure there is a long list of unique local food producers. Maybe there is a case for Yorkshire Rhubarb or the Barnsley Chop to get the same EU wide protection."

Notes:

The two EU regulated schemes are Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) which means that products such as Stilton, Jersey Potatoes and Feta are unique to those particular regions.

Only one company in the entire Yorkshire & the Humber region has its name protected under either of these two headings. It is the Swaledale Cheese Company in Richmond which makes Swaledale Cheese and Swaledale Ewe's Cheese. This is out of total of 29 protected names in the UK as a whole. This compares to Italy with 154, France with 145 and Germany with 67.