Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) would prevent any manufacturers outside Wensleydale from producing a cheese with the same name.

It aims to promote and protect food products in the EU and is used to describe foods which are produced, processed and prepared in a given geographical area using traditional methods. There are just 29 UK products whose names are protected by the EU. Only Swaledale Cheese and Swaledale Ewe’s Cheese - produced by The Swaledale Cheese Company - are in Yorkshire. This is in stark contrast to France and Italy who have around 300 between them, including Roquefort and Ricotta Romana. If the bid is successful, the cheese produced by Wensleydale Dairy Products, based in Hawes in the heart of Wensleydale, would be called Real Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese. It will mean consumers will know they are eating the real product - a hand-crafted cheese made from natural Wensleydale milk with a unique taste. Other producers of the cheese in Wensleydale will be protected by the EU status, but those outside will not and cannot share the same name.