25 October 2005

IT’S HARD CHEESE FOR YORKSHIRE FETA

Yorkshire cheesemaker, Shepherds Purse, has lost its 5 year long battle with bureaucracy following a negative ruling from the European Court of Justice announced today, that will force the company to change the name of its second best selling cheese, Yorkshire Feta.

The EU ordered Shepherds Purse of Thirsk to change the name of its Yorkshire Feta cheese in 2002 - with the help of MEP, Edward McMillan-Scott, the family run company has been challenging the decision ever since. The ban, due to take effect in 2007, was imposed after Greek cheese makers persuaded the EU Commission to register feta as exclusively Greek, arguing that grasses on the country’s mountains gave the cheese its special flavour and that it should be given Protected Designation of Origin.

Founder, Judy Bell commented: “We are really disappointed with the Court’s decision.  It has been a long and hard fought fight and we have been supported every step of the way by MEP Edward McMillan-Scott, but in the end the Greeks have won.  We still feel strongly that as feta is not a geographical area of Greece that we should be allowed to use it as a generic term to describe a young, creamy cheese made from ewe’s milk.”

“I really don’t believe that Greece will be able to meet the demands of the world’s need for feta on their own. We have produced Yorkshire Feta since 1987 and it is our second best selling cheese, accounting for 15 per cent of our turnover, changing the branding is going to be a costly business for us. I can’t help feeling that the ruling in favour of Greece is simply pandering to the whims of one of the newer members of the EU.“

Edward McMillan-Scott, MEP, said: "While this is not exactly a surprise, it's a big disappointment. Greece's exclusive claim to the name feta has been hotly disputed by several other EU states. Such a tough restriction is entirely unnecessary. It's going to confuse shoppers and cause no end of hassle for producers who will be forced to dream up new ways of telling people what sort of cheese they're buying."

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