The EU ruling means that 'traditional Cumberland sausages' must be produced in Cumbria and have a meat content of at least 80%; they must also be seasoned and sold in a long coil.
But the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), which comes into force in April, will not stop other sausage makers from describing their products as 'Cumberland' – regardless of provenance or meat content – provided they do not use the prefix “traditional”.
Rising costs, falling numbers
Peter Gott, who heads the Cumberland Sausage Association, told FoodManufacture.co.uk: “When we started our campaign 10 years ago there were 180 producers who were butchers and farmers. We’ve probably lost 25% of them.
“10-15% of the pig herd will be lost this year due to the rising cost of feed, but I think there are people in the county who will now sell more to the south and there’s also the possibility for export.
“There will be benefits. If it’s a minimum of 80% meat it’s got to be more expensive than something crap with 60% meat content.”
Secret recipes
The PGI will allow Cumberland producers to use their own secret recipes and preferred seasonings, although meat must be roughly chopped and synthetic skins are banned. “We’ve even left it open for rusk and breadcrumbs, and after the war some people used flaked rice,” Gott said.
* In the House of Commons on March 17, Tory backbencher Dr Daniel Poulter said that, over the past three years, “pig producers have been losing £20 per pig, whereas at the same time retailers have still been making £100 profit per pig”.