Smaller producers of cheese within the dale are also supporting the bid.

David Hartley, managing director of Wensleydale Dairy Products, said protected status was something he had been considering for a few years.

"We are only one of a few makers of real Wensleydale cheese who are actually based in the Dale. More importantly, we only use milk produced by dairy herds grazed in Wensleydale. The Wensleydale brand is one of our most precious assets and it is right and proper that we should protect it.

“In doing so we are protecting the long-term economy of the Dale and the livelihood of hundreds of people who live and work here.”