In response to concerns raised by Connecticut dairy farmers, the state’s congressional delegation is pushing for the right for cheese produced locally to be called feta or gorgonzala.
Led by U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), the delegation urged the Office of the United States Trade Representative and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to protect Connecticut’s farmers in the upcoming Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement.
Specifically, the delegation seeks to protect dairy farmers in the state and nationally from actions by the European Union to impose what they consider inappropriate barriers to U.S. food labeling that could harm Connecticut farmers and cost the U.S. cheese production industry up to $4.2 billion per year.
In the letter, the Connecticut delegation said that the EU’s implementation of geographic indicators – which are signs used to specify that products come from a specific geographical origin – would prevent the American agricultural industry from labeling their products with common food names, such as “Asiago,” “Feta,” or “Gorgonzola” among many other names. They said it would also hamper the ability of Connecticut cheese producers to export their products and compete with EU companies on a level playing field.
The delegation also said in the letter, “Unfairly restricting labels for cheeses like asiago just because it isn’t made in Asiago, Italy, makes no sense. Locally-produced cheese, dairy and other products are in high demand, and international trade negotiations shouldn’t be the reason why Connecticut farmers all of a sudden can’t sell certain types of popular, well-recognized products.”
