Welsh Food And Drink
Dec0
It is one of the most unlikely food retail successes of recent times, which has enjoyed a huge revival since being rebranded from its original name – the pilchard. Today the Cornish sardine celebrates a further coup as the latest UK product to be recognised under the EU protected food names scheme.
The product has been awarded the status of protected geographical indication (PGI) because of the way sardines are caught and the historic link to the fishing of sardines in Cornish waters.
The announcement was made today at New Covent Garden market in London as food and farming ministers gathered to promote the best of British regional and speciality foods at a Christmas market.
The award means that Cornish sardines have become the UK's 40th food name protected under the EU protected food name scheme, joining Stilton cheese, Melton Mowbray pork pies, and Scotch beef and lamb. The scheme ensures food names are legally protected on the basis of their link to a specific geographical area or because they are made to a traditional recipe.
The food and farming minister, Jim Fitzpatrick, said: "I am delighted that Cornish sardines have been awarded PGI status. The award recognises the tradition and long-established ties Cornwall has with the fishing industry and reinforces the fact that quality British regional food is gaining the wider recognition it deserves – 2009 has been a good year for recognition of British products. Cornish sardines are the third UK registration this year."
The application's success is the result of co-operation between producers and officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Celebrating the news, Nick Howell, chairman of the Cornish Sardine Management Association, said: "The fishermen and processors of Cornwall have combined their efforts over the last 10 years in rebuilding this traditional fishery and we would like to thank Defra for guiding us through the complex process of getting EU approval for Cornish sardines, and we can now focus on promoting the sustainability and quality of our brand."
Howell was instrumental in rebranding the pilchard as the Cornish sardine six years ago to increase its consumer appeal, which led to a recovery of a traditional fishing business that had been close to extinction. Strictly speaking, pilchards are adult sardines. Both are rich in oils and minerals, available fresh in the summer months and tinned and processed during the rest of the year.
Under the EU protected food name scheme, which came into force in 1993,food or drink registered at European level will get legal protection against imitation throughout the union.
A selection of UK products protected by the EU
Beer: Kentish ale, Rutland bitter
Cheese: Buxton Blue, Single Gloucester, Beacon Fell traditional Lancashire cheese, West Country farmhouse cheddar cheese
Cream: Cornish Clotted Cream
Fresh fish, molluscs and crustaceans: Arbroath Smokies, Scottish Farmed Salmon, Whitstable Oysters, Grimsby Smoked Fish, Cornish Sardines
Fruit, vegetables and cereals: Jersey Royal Potatoes
Meat-based products: Melton Mowbray Pork Pie
Meat: Orkney beef, Orkney lamb, Scotch beef, Scotsh lamb, Shetland lamb, Welsh beef, Welsh lamb, Isle of Man Loaghtan lamb
It is one of the most unlikely food retail successes of recent times, which has enjoyed a huge revival since being rebranded from its original name – the pilchard. Today the Cornish sardine celebrates a further coup as the latest UK product to be recognised under the EU protected food names scheme.
The product has been awarded the status of protected geographical indication (PGI) because of the way sardines are caught and the historic link to the fishing of sardines in Cornish waters.
The announcement was made today at New Covent Garden market in London as food and farming ministers gathered to promote the best of British regional and speciality foods at a Christmas market.
The award means that Cornish sardines have become the UK's 40th food name protected under the EU protected food name scheme, joining Stilton cheese, Melton Mowbray pork pies, and Scotch beef and lamb. The scheme ensures food names are legally protected on the basis of their link to a specific geographical area or because they are made to a traditional recipe.
The food and farming minister, Jim Fitzpatrick, said: "I am delighted that Cornish sardines have been awarded PGI status. The award recognises the tradition and long-established ties Cornwall has with the fishing industry and reinforces the fact that quality British regional food is gaining the wider recognition it deserves – 2009 has been a good year for recognition of British products. Cornish sardines are the third UK registration this year."
The application's success is the result of co-operation between producers and officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Celebrating the news, Nick Howell, chairman of the Cornish Sardine Management Association, said: "The fishermen and processors of Cornwall have combined their efforts over the last 10 years in rebuilding this traditional fishery and we would like to thank Defra for guiding us through the complex process of getting EU approval for Cornish sardines, and we can now focus on promoting the sustainability and quality of our brand."
Howell was instrumental in rebranding the pilchard as the Cornish sardine six years ago to increase its consumer appeal, which led to a recovery of a traditional fishing business that had been close to extinction. Strictly speaking, pilchards are adult sardines. Both are rich in oils and minerals, available fresh in the summer months and tinned and processed during the rest of the year.
Under the EU protected food name scheme, which came into force in 1993,food or drink registered at European level will get legal protection against imitation throughout the union.
A selection of UK products protected by the EU
Beer: Kentish ale, Rutland bitter
Cheese: Buxton Blue, Single Gloucester, Beacon Fell traditional Lancashire cheese, West Country farmhouse cheddar cheese
Cream: Cornish Clotted Cream
Fresh fish, molluscs and crustaceans: Arbroath Smokies, Scottish Farmed Salmon, Whitstable Oysters, Grimsby Smoked Fish, Cornish Sardines
Fruit, vegetables and cereals: Jersey Royal Potatoes
Meat-based products: Melton Mowbray Pork Pie
Meat: Orkney beef, Orkney lamb, Scotch beef, Scotsh lamb, Shetland lamb, Welsh beef, Welsh lamb, Isle of Man Loaghtan lamb