Application to Register the name ‘Traditional Dunlop’ as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) under the EU Protected Food Name Scheme

A Consultation Paper Rural and Environment Directorate Food and Drink Industry Division

T: 0300-244 9148 F: 0131-244 9990 E: ewan.scott2@.gsi.gov.uk 

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March 2011

Dear Consultee

APPLICATION TO REGISTER THE NAME ‘TRADITIONAL AYRSHIRE DUNLOP’ AS A PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION (PGI) UNDER THE EU PROTECTED FOOD NAME SCHEME

I am writing to you concerning an application the Scottish Government has received to register ‘Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop’ as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) under the above scheme. You or your members may have an interest, or have previously declared an interest, in this application. Details of the scheme can be found at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/Food-Industry/national- strategy/rep/PFNs

If the application is successful and the name is protected then only Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop conforming to the registered specification would be permitted to use the name. However, before a decision on whether to forward the application to the European Commission for the next stage of the process can be made, in compliance with Article 5.5 of Council Regulation (EC) 510/2006, we are required to consult interested parties within the UK to give them an opportunity to comment or object to the application.

I am therefore attaching the specifications which set out the conditions which would need to be met should the application be approved. If you wish to comment or object to the application please let me have your response by 5pm on 28 June 2011. Any objections to the application will need to specify the grounds on which it is based and must meet the admissibility criteria outlines in article 7(3) of Council Regulation (EC) 510/2006.

If you are aware of other organisations, businesses or individuals who you think should be consulted, please feel free to copy this consultation to them, or inform us of the omission.

Saughton House, Broomhouse Drive, Edinburgh EH11 3XD www.scotland.gov.uk 

Please send your response with the completed Respondent Information Form (see "Handling your Response" below) to:

Ewan Scott Food and Drink Industry Division B1 Spur Saughton House Broomhouse Drive Edinburgh EH11 3XD

Email: [email protected] Tel: 0300 244 9148 Fax 0300 244 9990

Handling your response

We need to know how you wish your response to be handled and, in particular, whether you are happy for your response to be made public. Please complete and return the Respondent Information Form which is attached to this letter as this will ensure that we treat your response appropriately. If you ask for your response not to be published we will regard it as confidential, and we will treat it accordingly.

All respondents should be aware that the Scottish Government are subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and would therefore have to consider any request made to it under the Act for information relating to responses made to this consultation exercise.

Next steps in the process

Where respondents have given permission for their response to be made public and after we have checked that they contain no potentially defamatory material, responses will be made available to the public on the Scottish Government consultation web pages. Responses can be copied and sent to you, but a charge may be made for this service.

What happens next ?

Following the closing date, all responses will be analysed and considered along with any other available evidence to help us reach a decision on the final specification for Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop to be registered as a PGI. Thereafter the application goes to Defra, before being submitted to the European Commission for their approval. seConsult

This consultation, and all other Scottish Government consultation exercises, can be viewed online on the consultation web pages of the Scottish Government website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations.

The Scottish Government now has an email alert system for consultations (SEconsult: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations/seconsult.aspx). This system allows stakeholder individuals and organisations to register and receive a weekly email containing details of all new consultations (including web links). SEconsult complements, but in no way replaces SG

Saughton House, Broomhouse Drive, Edinburgh EH11 3XD www.scotland.gov.uk  distribution lists, and is designed to allow stakeholders to keep up to date with all SG consultation activity, and therefore be alerted at the earliest opportunity to those of most interest. We would encourage you to register.

Comments and complaints

If you have any comments about how this consultation exercise has been conducted, please send them to Ewan Scott at the email or postal address given above.

THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT CONSULTATION PROCESS

Consultation is an essential and important aspect of Scottish Government working methods. Given the wide-ranging areas of work of the Scottish Government, there are many varied types of consultation. However, in general, Scottish Government consultation exercises aim to provide opportunities for all those who wish to express their opinions on a proposed area of work to do so in ways which will inform and enhance that work.

The Scottish Government encourages consultation that is thorough, effective and appropriate to the issue under consideration and the nature of the target audience. Consultation exercises take account of a wide range of factors, and no two exercises are likely to be the same.

Typically Scottish Government consultations involve a written paper inviting answers to specific questions or more general views about the material presented. Written papers are distributed to organisations and individuals with an interest in the issue, and they are also placed on the Scottish Government web site enabling a wider audience to access the paper and submit their responses1. Consultation exercises may also involve seeking views in a number of different ways, such as through public meetings, focus groups or questionnaire exercises. Copies of all the written responses received to a consultation exercise (except those where the individual or organisation requested confidentiality) are placed in the Scottish Government library at Victoria Quay, Edinburgh (G-D 42, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh, EH6 6QQ, telephone 0131 244 8455).

All Scottish Government consultation papers and related publications (eg, analysis of response reports) can be accessed at: Scottish Government consultations (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations)

The views and suggestions detailed in consultation responses are analysed and used as part of the decision making process, along with a range of other available information and evidence. Depending on the nature of the consultation exercise the responses received may:

 indicate the need for policy development or review  inform the development of a particular policy  help decisions to be made between alternative policy proposals  be used to finalise legislation before it is implemented

Final decisions on the issues under consideration will also take account of a range of other factors, including other available information and research evidence.

1 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations

Saughton House, Broomhouse Drive, Edinburgh EH11 3XD www.scotland.gov.uk 

While details of particular circumstances described in a response to a consultation exercise may usefully inform the policy process, consultation exercises cannot address individual concerns and comments, which should be directed to the relevant public body.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further information regarding the consultation process.

Yours sincerely

EWAN SCOTT Food and Drink Industry Division

Saughton House, Broomhouse Drive, Edinburgh EH11 3XD www.scotland.gov.uk 

LIST OF CONSULTEES

5 Legal Deposit Libraries Age Scotland Aldi Alyn Smith MEP APSE Scotland UK - Lockerbie Creamery Asda BEMIS British Board British Hospitality Association British Library British Retail Consortium British Sheep Dairying Association Caithness Cheese Caledonian Cheese Company Catherine Stihler MEP CBI SCOTLAND CEMVO Clarks Speciality Foods (Edinburgh) Clerk of Committee at Scottish Parliament with interest in consultation Connage Highland Dairy Consumer Focus Scotland Co-operative COSLA Craft Guild of Chef’s Craigmyle Cheese Company Dairy Farmers of Scotland Dairy Industry Federation Dairy UK Ltd Dairy UK Scotland David Martin MEP Defra DG Environment Committee liaison officer Engender Equality and Human Rights Commission Equality Network Federation of Chefs Scotland Federation of Small Businesses Food and Drink Federation Food Standards Agency Food Standards Agency - Scotland Galloway Farmhouse Cheese George Lyon MEP George Mewes Cheese (Glasgow) Graham’s Family Dairy Grimbister Farm Cheese Highland Fine Highlands and Islands Enterprise I J Mellis Cheesemonger Ian Hudghton MEP Inclusion Scotland Institute of Hospitality Intellectual Assets Centre Saughton House, Broomhouse Drive, Edinburgh EH11 3XD www.scotland.gov.uk 

Intellectual Property Office Inverloch Cheese Company Island Cheese Company Kingdom Cheese Knockraich Dairy LACORS Lidl Loch Arthur Creamery Lymekilns Cheesemonger Mains of Shevado Marks & Spencer Masterchefs Morrisons National Dairy Council National Farmers Union National Farmers Union Scotland Provision Trade Federation Provision Trade Federation Quality Meat Scotland Quality Milk Producers Ltd/JCS UK Ltd Robert Wiseman Dairies Sainsbury's SCDI Scotland Food and Drink Scottish Agricultural College Scottish Dairy Cattle Association Scottish Disability Equality Forum Scottish Enterprise Scottish Environment Link Scottish Environment Protection Agency Scottish Food Advisory Committee Scottish Food and Drink Federation Scottish Food Quality Certification Scottish Grocers Federation Scottish Interfaith Council Scottish Natural Heritage Scottish Retail Consortium Scottish Women's Convention SG Library Specialist Cheese Makers Association SPICE Library Struan Stevenson MEP Tast of Arran Tesco The The Guild of Fine Food Retailers The Patent Office Visit Scotland Waitrose Welsh Assembly Government West Country Farmhouse Cheesemakers Ltd West Highland Dairy Wester Lawrenceton Farm LTD

Saughton House, Broomhouse Drive, Edinburgh EH11 3XD www.scotland.gov.uk 

SPECIFICATION

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006 on protected geographical indications and protected designations of origin “Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop” EC No: PDO ( ) PGI ( )

This document sets out the main elements of the product specification for information purposes. 1 RESPONSIBLE DEPARTMENT IN THE MEMBER STATE: Name: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Address: Food Policy Unit Area 6c, Nobel House 17 Smith Square London, SW1P 3JR

Tel: 0207 238 6075 Fax: 0207 238 5728 Email: [email protected]

2 GROUP Name: Dunlop Dairy Address: West Clerkland Farm Ayrshire KA3 5LP Tel.: 01560 482494 Fax: e-mail: [email protected] Composition: Producers and processors (  ) Other ( ) The applicant company is the only company producing ‘Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop’ cheese in the defined area. However, the applicant recognises that any producer in the defined area has the right to produce the product in accordance with the specifications and the obligations imposed by the regulatory framework. 3 TYPE OF PRODUCT Class 1.3 Cheeses 4 SPECIFICATION

4.1 Name: Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop

4.2 Description:

Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop is a hard cheese made from the milk of Ayrshire cows . It is a natural pale yellow in colour which is attributable to the Ayrshire milk. When cut it has a smooth close surface which feels moist to the touch, this is due to the high moisture content of the cheese. It is cylindrical in shape and has a hard thin golden rind with a very slight mottling. In its early stages Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop has a very mild nutty flavour and smooth close texture. As it ages, subtle, nutty, creamy flavours develop and the texture becomes smooth and slightly springy. The shorter the period of maturation the milder the cheese – as the cheese ages stronger flavours develop. The youngest cheese would be around 6 months and the oldest 18 months but the most popular age is between 10a and 12 months. The more mature cheeses will have a drier texture as with time they will have lost some moisture. The average moisture content of the cheese ranges from 39% - 44. The milk butterfat content can range from 3.9 to 4.4% which passes into the high fat content of the cheese. This high fat content is enabled by the smaller fat globules of the Ayrshire cow’s milk, which allow an ease of incorporation of fat into the curd. The cheese is produced in 3 sizes, a 7inch diameter by 4.5inch deep weighing approx. 3kg, or 14-16inch diameter by 9inch deep weighing approx 20 kg. A smaller cheese is also produced weighing 350g, from a mould measured 3.5inch diameter by 3inch deep. The cheese is packaged for sale in either prepacked wedges which are vacuum sealed, or whole cheeses which are wrapped cloth then in wax paper. Characteristics of cheese: • Consistency: Body moderately firm • Colour: Natural pale yellow • Aroma: clean, no taints or odour • Flavour: mild nutty, as it ages more nutty, creamy flavours develop. • Appearance: milky white slightly open • Texture: smooth close texture, slightly springy when young. Smooth as it ages.

Physio-chemical properties: • pH: 5.2 – 5.4 • dry matter:31.3% • Fat content:52.1% • Sodium chloride:1.6 – 1.8%

Microbiological limits: • Escherichia coli: maximum of 10 colonies/gram, • Staphylococcus aureus: maximum of 10 colonies/gram, • Salmonella: absence in 25 grams,

4.3 Geographical area: The cheese is produced in an area around the traditional parish of Dunlop. The geographical area boundaries are: West - The A737 road between the towns of Beith and Dalry. South – The following roads between Dalry and Stewarton - the B707, south on a short section of the A736, then the B778 to Stewarton. East - The B769 from Stewarton to the junction with Glanderston Road North - West along Glanderston Road, then south on Springhill Road. West along Kirkton Road to Neilston. North along Kingston Road to Station Road. Then south on Main Street, to the junction with Holehouse Brae. Along Holehouse Brae to where it meets the A736. A736 to , then the B777 to Beith

4.4 Proof of origin: The cheese is produced from the milk from Ayrshire Cows which are kept and milked within the geographic area. Where milk from the dairy’s own herd us used, milking records are kept which record number of cows milked each day and the total amount of milk produced. The milk is piped straight from the milking parlour to the dairy. Milk sourced from elsewhere in the geographical area would be required to have the appropriate details upon delivery to the dairy. A cheese make log is kept showing the details of the milk used in each batch with the date and time that batch is started. Records trace each batch of milk back to the day it was produced. The only other raw materials included in Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop are the small quantities of starter culture, rennet and sea salt. These are obtained from suppliers in England with records being kept of date of delivery and volume. The amounts used in each application are also recorded along with the time they are inserted into the cheese making process. Each stage of the process is recorded with details including time/temperature and individual processes such as cutting/settling etc all covered. The number and sizes of each cheese made from the batch are also recorded. Before going into storage brown card labels detailing the batch number and the date and the date of making are sown onto the cloth bandage surrounding the cheese and once the cheese is cut and packed labels describing the cheese are stuck onto the packaging. When cheese has matured and is distributed records are kept of all places where each cheese is sent. Invoices and farmers market sheets are also kept to provide a double check.

4.5 Method of production: The cheese is produced from the milk from Ayrshire Cows which are kept and milked within the geographic area. The cows are grazed on old permanent pastures with a minimum use of fertiliser for good environmental management. The cows are graze on the land through the summer months (May to September) with supplementary feeding at milking time with an 18% blend cattle cake. The rest of the year October to April, cows are housed due to wet conditions of the fields (poaching). They are fed on this 18% blend cattle cake as well as ad lib haylage (grown in the geographical area) - long fibre, not chopped grass - dried almost like hay and wrapped to preserve it. After milking the milk goes straight to the dairy where it is heated to around 72 ºc and held that temperature and pasteurised for 15 seconds. It is then cooled to 30ºc. The milk is then transferred to vat where and a starter culture - R.A. Range, freeze dried concentrated lactic starter for the direct vat inoculation of milk and milk bases - is added and left to ripen for 1 hour. The Ayrshire breed of cow has smaller fat globules which allow an ease of incorporation of fat into the curd. Large fat globules being more easily pressed out of the curds and lost in the whey or fill gaps in the curd giving a greasy mottled effect. Rennet is then added and the mixture left to co-agulate for 40-50minutes. The resultant solid curd within the mixture is cut into ¼ inch cubes by hand with knives within the vat, this is a skilled process. The skill of the cheesemaker also determines the correct time for cutting (usually between 45 and 60 minutes after rennet has been added). The temperature in the vat is raised to 38ºc and the mixture stirred to allow the curd to float to the surface. The cheesemaker’s skill is used to determine the length of time stirring is required. This is likely to be approx 1 to 1 and a half hours. The mixture is then left to settle. Once settling occurs the liquid whey is run off through a sieve and a channel is made through the centre of the solid curd remaining in the vat. This curd is cut by the cheesemaker and turned with the slabs being placed to the side of the vat. When the acidity of the curd is 0.55-0.65% it is put through a pegmill to break the curd into smaller pieces which is returned to the vat ready for salting. The sea salt is added by hand and mixed into the curd and allowed to dissolve for between 5- 20mins before the curd is put into a mould and pressed overnight. The amount of salt added is around one kilo for each 100 gallons milk, although this could vary slightly on the specific batch of curd. This is a very skilled process to ensure that the salt is evenly distributed throughout the curd at the correct amount (1.6 – 1.8% in final product). Traditional cylindrical shaped moulds in 3 sizes are used. Stainless steel moulds are 350g and 20kg and moulds of plastic are 3kg. The following day the cheese is removed from the mould, trimmed and dipped in hot water. A cloth bandage is then is then applied and the cheese is returned to the press for up to 24hours. The finished cheese is stored in humid conditions at 10-12ºc for between 6 – 12 months and is turned frequently. The length of this maturation depends on the strength of taste required by the customer. The shorter the period of maturation the milder the cheese – as the cheese ages stronger flavours develop. The youngest cheese would be around 6 months and the oldest 18 months but the most popular age is between 10 and 12 months. The more mature cheeses will have a drier texture as with time they have lost some moisture. Pre-cut and packed wedges will be in sealed vacuum pouches with a label describing the cheese. Whole cheeses may be sold in a natural state with cloth and sewn on label stating the cheese, date of manufacture and batch number.

4.6 Link: Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop was first developed around 1690 by who brought the recipe back from Ireland where she had been exiled to avoid religious persecution. On her return she married a farmer, James Dunlop of Hill Farm, Dunlop. There she made and taught the techniques of making a “sweet milk cheese”, which was later known as Dunlop. This cheese was made with whole milk as previously a poor-keeping cheese was made from skimmed milk, a by-product of butter making. The milk used in Barbara Gilmour’s original cheese came from her own Dunlop cows which produced a creamy milk derived from the local lush pastures arising from the favourable rainfall. As the reputation of the Dunlop cows spread through the Cunninghame area and then throughout the County of Ayrshire the name of the breed changed from the Dunlop cow to the Cunningham cow and then the Ayrshire cow, which is what it is still known as today. The recipe used today is the same as would have been used originally by Barbara Gilmour, although there will be slight modifications due to modern hygiene regulations. The mild wet climate of the designated geographical area combined with the heavy clay/loam soils produces rich, lush, green grass and natural vegetation with clovers. The grassland is permanent pasture using traditional grasses augmented by natural clovers and other herbaceous species of grassland giving a distinctive cover of forage for both grazing and conservation. The Ayrshire cows graze this grass producing rich creamy milk with the high butterfat necessary for making Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop. The pasture which the cows graze has not been reseeded for well over 50 years. The grasses which grow have developed and established themselves over this time and must be suited to the very wet and heavy clay soils. They are not new species which you get in new leys. These grasses will be different from other areas of Ayrshire which have sandier soils which will be suited to different grasses. This produced a hard, fully flavoured cheese which was able to travel well. Other local cheeses were soft cheeses which could not be sent to markets in Glasgow so this new cheese quickly gained a reputation for its unique characteristics. This has continued to the present day. Successful production of the cheese is dependant on the skill of the cheesemaker. They must judge the product throughout the production process and adapt to ensure consistency of the final product. These skills have had to be learned, and develop experience to adapt to changes in the milk. The late eighteenth to nineteenth centuries saw the period of most growth in the making of Ayrshire Dunlop with farms as far afield as Galloway following the Ayrshire recipe. However, commercialisation was on the way with the selling of cheese to “cadgers” or middlemen and competition arriving with cheese from England (mainly of the cheddar variety). Comparisons with cheddar were made and the way forward seemed to be to have the cheese made in creameries using cheddar methods. The development of the rail system in the nineteenth century further developed the move from cheese making on small farms to larger production facilities. Cheese could then be easily moved around the country and by the Second World War very little cheese was made on farm. The applicants restarted making Ayrshire Dunlop in 1989 using the traditional methods to provide an unspoiled quality product. The cheese has been a consistent winner of awards over the years and is particularly popular at farmers’ markets and specialist delicatessens and cheese shops. Awards gained include several 1st and 2nd awards at the between 1991 and 1996; the British Cheese Awards in 1999 (silver), 2001 (gold) and 2004 (bronze) and the Nantwich International Cheese show 1992 (1st) and 2005 (gold).

4.7 Inspection body: Name: Council Address: Department of Neighbourhood Services Environmental Health Western Road KA3 1LL Tel.: 01563 554022/23 Fax: 01563 554040 e-mail: [email protected]

4.8 Labelling:

Traditional Ayrshire Dunlop PGI Application

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