West Country cheese producers have been called on to make the UK the world’s number one cheese destination, ahead of France and Italy, by applying for protected status, Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss said today ahead of a visit to the Royal Bath and West Show.

With 700 different cheeses produced in the UK we have more varieties than France and Italy - but just 16 have been awarded the coveted protected food name status which safeguards great British foods from imitation and ensures they are made using local ingredients and time-honoured techniques. France and Italy currently lead the way in Europe with 51 and 49 cheeses registered under the scheme.

The South West is already leading the UK in protected food names, with 11 out of our 63 protected foods based in the region, including much-loved cheeses like West Country Farmhouse Cheddar, Single Gloucester and Exmoor Blue.

Urging West Country cheese producers to take on their French and Italian counterparts, Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss said:

“Given we have more types of cheese than France and Italy it’s only right we should have more trademarks and more recognition. And what better place to lead the charge than the West Country - home to our iconic cheddar. Growing our British cheese industry will help bring greater investment, jobs and tourism to local communities. And by trademarking our best-loved cheeses we are not only celebrating our rich heritage of cheese making, but also protecting them from pale imitations.”

The announcement follows a celebration of regional producers at the British Cheese Awards earlier in the week.

Businesses awarded protected status have reported a boost in sales, helping to power local economies, increase employment and drive up tourism. The scheme’s worldwide reputation can also help grow business’ reputations abroad, allowing them to build on 2014’s record cheese exports, which included £77m of sales to France and £19m to Italy, with overall dairy exports bringing £1.4bn to the UK economy.

George Streatfeild, Chairman of the West Country Farmhouse Cheddar Association, said:

“Having Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status guarantees the authenticity and provenance of our cheese. It is handmade on the farm and matured for over nine months. This means that when consumers buy West Country Farmhouse Cheddar, they know with confidence that they are buying the real thing. It has helped us stand out in an increasingly competitive world particularly when exporting to countries like China, Korea and USA."

Applying for protected status couldn’t be easier: groups of producers can put forward an application online for one of three different types of protected status if they use local and traditional methods, if a product is unique to a geographical area, or if it has distinct characteristics.