Protected Food Name Status

The term PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) applies to products, which must be produced, processed or prepared within a specific geographical area and have a reputation, features or qualities attributable to that location.

We have completed the final stages of our bid to Brussels for protected food status and are awaiting publication in the European Journal, with a long - awaited decision on our application expected by the Autumn.

We have been working closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to secure the special PGI classification for our Real Yorkshire Wensleydale Cheese.

The application has been passed and approved by DEFRA and has been submitted to the European Commission with the backing of the UK Government.

The next stage is for the application to be validated by the European Commission and a formal six month window for objections from other EU countries. This final European stage is expected to be completed by Autumn 2011.

Other well known products and brands with protected status include Melton Mowbray Pork pies and Parma Ham.

Gaining PGI status would mean that cheese producers outside the area could not make a product with the Real Yorkshire Wensleydale Cheese name, and would protect the provenance of Wensleydale cheese.

It would also ensure that customers would know they are eating the genuine product – a hand-crafted cheese, made using a traditional recipe within the Yorkshire Dales.

Applying for PGI status will protect the integrity and provenance of our cheese and elevate it above, and differentiate it from, manufacturers outside the region. We strongly believe that it is important to use EU protection to safeguard the only Wensleydale cheese actually made in Wensleydale.

The unique taste of Real Yorkshire Wensleydale Cheese is characterised by its firm, slightly crumbly open texture and a mildly sweet flavour.  This is due to a combination of factors including the way the cheese is made and the skill and labour involved in the process.  Made to a time-honoured recipe developed by Cistercian monks from around 1150, Wensleydale Creamery stil hand-crafts cheese using traditional methods.

Real Yorkshire Wensleydale Cheese is a community-based product, built on centuries of tradition and it is made in Wensleydale by local skilled people, using locally produced milk from family farms.

The brand is a precious asset to the area, with the livelihoods of more than 200 creamery workers and more than 50 family-run farms in Wensleydale depending on The Creamery.

Not only are we one of the biggest employers in the Dale, but we make a substantial contribution to the local economy putting more than £11m a year back into the local economy through salaries, milk payments and purchases.