The Forfar Bridie’s bid to sit alongside the big names of European food is still in the mix.
As the clock counts down to Brexit, local producers are still to be learn if the famed product will join the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status hamper including the likes of Champagne, Parma ham and Stornoway black pudding.
Confirmation the bid remains undecided comes amid hopes the only other Angus PGI product – the Arbroath smokie – could become big in Japan under a new trade deal.
A decade on from the PGI proposal for the bridie first coming to the table, a formal application was submitted earlier this year.
Following a national consultation, it was sent for European scrutiny before a three-month EU-wide consultation but it is thought that process has been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.
An Angus Council spokesperson said: “The application is presently with the European Commission and we eagerly await word on their final decision.”
Councillors were previously told the Forfar bridie name would be given protected European status and automatically recognised in the UK if there were no objections to the application but officials admitted they could not give any indication of potential Brexit impacts on the bid.
Meanwhile, Arbroath smokies, Stornoway black pudding and Shetland wool are among the iconic Scottish products said to be heading for better legal protection under the new free trade deal with Japan.
The UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement was agreed in principle by International Trade Secretary Liz Truss and Japan’s foreign minister, Motegi Toshimitsu during a video call as the UK’s first major trade deal outside the EU.
UK businesses will benefit from tariff-free trade on 99% of exports, with government analysis projecting a £1.5 billion boost to the UK.
In 2019, almost 600 Scottish firms exported good worth just over £500million to Japan.
Geographical indications for UK products, guaranteeing where they are made, are expected to increase from just seven under the terms of the EU-Japan deal to potentially more than 70 under the new UK-Japan agreement.
Ms Truss said: “This is our first major post-Brexit trade deal and goes far beyond the existing EU deal by securing new wins for British businesses including, in our great manufacturing, food and drink, and tech industries.”
