News

Ayshire Dunlop cheese gains protected status from government

Posted 31/03/2015

 

Cheese lovers across the UK will soon have reason to be cheerful, after the Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss announced that Ayrshire Dunlop would have protected status in the coming weeks. The Scottish cheese joins traditional foods such as the Cornish pasty which have the Protected Geographical Indication status. 

It is over 300 years old and originates from the village of Dunlop. Production of the cheese was revived in 1989 and it remains one of Scotland's famous cheeses to this day. Elizabeth Truss said the decision would help increase investment and boost tourism for communities producing these foods: "Trademarking our best-loved foods means more than simply protecting them from pale imitation—it’s also about using our proud food heritage to bring greater investment, jobs and tourism to local communities, part of our long-term economic plan for food and farming."

She went onto say: "I’m delighted to see Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop take its rightful place alongside Blue Stilton and Yorkshire Wensleydale, recognising more than 300 years of tradition in the heart of Scotland and I want to see many more cheeses join this list."