UK – The West Country’s cheddar makers have met other producers of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) foods to discuss plans for the support of the EU protected name scheme for UK producers.

The meeting was organised by Food from Britain and DEFRA to determine the best way of communicating the values of PDO to UK consumers. Philip Crawford, chairman of West Country Farmhouse Cheesemakers, attended the event. He said: “We are committed to making the West Country brand with its PDO status truly representative of the best handmade on the farm Cheddar but it is important that this is extended to other artisan foods.” A spokesman for Booths supermarkets, who are also supporting the initiative, said: “We make every effort to champion artisan quality foods from Britain’s regions and we’re committed to raising awareness of their origins to our customers. We hope that by working with producers such as West Country Farmhouse Cheesemakers we will enhance the value of PDO status in the UK today.” Further details on the origins of West Country cheddar and PDO guidelines can be found on the new website www.farmhousecheesemakers.com.