European blow for UK cheesemaker

A row over whether only Greece should be allowed to label its cheese feta has reached the European Court of Justice. The Danish and German governments are challenging a European Commission ruling which said Greece should have sole rights to use the name. In the UK, North Yorkshire-based Shepherd's Purse has warned that a ruling in Greece's favour will hit the firm hard. The Advocate General's Opinion in Joined Cases C-465/02 and C-466/02 was issued on 10 May 2005 and recommended a judgement in Greece's favour. In the view of the Advocate General, 'feta' meets the requirements of a designation of origin in that it describes a cheese originating from a substantial part of Greece, whose characteristics derive from its geographical environment and its production, processing and preparation are carried out in a defined area.

European Court of Justice: Press Release, No.40, 2005 http://curia.europa.eu/en/actu/communiques/cp05/aff/cp050040en.pdf

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