WENSLEYDALE cheese made in Yorkshire could finally receive special protection within months.
Uniquely Yorkshire: Watch Wensleydale cheese being made »The Wensleydale Creamery at Hawes is hoping to get approval from the European Union before the end of the year to stop impersonators using its name.
Read messages of support for the campaign from Yorkshire Post readers across the world>>The protected designation of origin status for Yorkshire Wensleydale Cheese will prevent producers outside the area from making a cheese with the same name.
It will finally mark victory for the Yorkshire Post's Uniquely Yorkshire campaign and the end of a lengthy process for the creamery to convince first the Government and then Brussels officials to grant the status.
The creamery's managing director, David Hartley, welcomed the progress at an event to promote the cheese at Claridge's in London yesterday, backed by Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague, MP for Richmond and a keen fan of the product.
Mr Hartley said: "Hopefully what has been a very long process is going to come to a conclusion in the end of 2009."
Mr Hague said only 16 products from this country – including Cornish clotted cream and Shetland lamb – have the protected status.
"It would be a great achievement if real Yorkshire Wensleydale Cheese could join them," he added.
"Once you've tasted real Yorkshire Wensleydale there's a distinctive quality no substitute can match."
The creamery originally chose Real Yorkshire Wensleydale Cheese as the title it wanted to protect but during the UK consultation it revised its bid to Yorkshire Wensleydale Cheese after concerns were raised over the exact wording.
Mr Hague hailed the creamery, which has a turnover of £18m, as a champion in supporting rural livelihoods. It employs 198 people and each year it pumps more than £11m back into the local economy through milk payments, wages and purchases.
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Mr Hague's speech, in full>>
