Air-dried ham made from pigs fed on acorns in the New Forest has been given special protected status under new post-Brexit rules.
The pannage ham will be registered under the Government’s geographical indication (GI) scheme, which was brought in after Brexit to protect and verify the authenticity of food and drink from specific areas of the UK.
The scheme was introduced to mimic a similar system in the EU that ensures products can only carry a certain name if they are prepared in a certain way or originate from certain regions.
The EU scheme covers everything from champagne sparkling wine to roquefort cheese.
But there’s one small catch that might limit the potential impact of the protected status.
GI protection only protects registered product names when they are sold in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and not in Northern Ireland or the rest of Europe.
The EU GI schemes, which we were formerly signed up to, protect registered products names when they are sold in Northern Ireland and the wider EU bloc.
So to use a food metaphor, they’re a bit of a chocolate fire guard.
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