Politics of Sausages

t’jameaters will noo have nowt to twine aboot but Cumberland Sausage lover might!

The Traditional Cumberland Sausage is recognised the world over with its spiral design and its rich flavours.

A proud product of Cumbria enjoyed the world over and so much so that in 2011 the Cumberland Sausage joined the ranks of Champagne, Parma ham and Greek feta cheese in having Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status under EU.

At the time the EU protection was granted the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the move would guarantee the heritage of the Cumberland Sausage and be a major boost for Cumbria's butchers.

Despite the UK leaving the EU the protection still stands meaning the Cumberland Sausage sold in countries across Europe can only be made in the county of Cumbria.

As part of the UK changes because of UK the departure from the EU a new UK geographical origin protection food name protection was created.

On the 31st December 2020 the Traditional Cumberland Sausage gained the UK protected origins status alongside the protection in the EU.

The application to protect the geographical production in the geographical area of the County of Cumbria, was proposed by The Cumberland Sausage Association with the application listing an address in Brough in the traditional county of Cumberland.

However, from the 1st of April 2023 The Cumberland Sausage Association and Brough will find itself in the county of Westmorland and Furness as Cumbria is scrapped and even the traditional geographical area of Cumberland is scrapped.

Government a week ago approved plans put forward by Allerdale and Copeland councils to abolish Cumbria and replace the councils with two new unitary councils.

The change order that will create the new councils also states that the County of Cumbria is abolished as a local government area.

The local government area forms the geographical area of Cumbria that is used to protect the Traditional Cumberland Sausage.

Could the actions in Westminster and the council chambers of Cumbria have put the traditional Cumberland sausage at risk?

The protection in the EU and the new UK protection means that to be sold as a Cumberland Sausage it has to be made in Cumbria.

The question is if Cumbria is abolished were will the Traditional Cumberland Sausage come from?

The change could see issues for producers of the Traditional Cumberland Sausage from selling it not just in the UK but into makes across Europe and Northern Ireland.

In a Parliamentary Delegated Legislation Committee debated the now approved Cumbria Structural Changes Order that will see the shape of Local Government in Cumbria replaced with 2 new Unitary Council. In the committee meeting Mark Jenkinson MP for Workington said t’jameaters will noo have nowt to twine aboot!

It appears the Jam eaters may be safe but the Cumberland Sausage eaters could be left with empty plates from the 1st April 2023 as Cumbria is abolished by government and the Allerdale and Copleland council plans.

Back in November 2021 when speaking about the changes to local government in Cumbria the Leader of Allerdale Borough Council Mike Johnson said: "We don't get everything we want all the time. It is what it is, that's called being an adult and dealing with it."

Could the loss of the Cumberland Sausage be something those across the world who enjoy the traditional Cumberland Sausage have to deal with so the councils in Cumbria can be abolished?

It may be thought that government and the council should have everything covered. But it recently emerged that the City of Carlisle was at risk of losing its City status through the changes. This was because no council has acted to include the required protection in the change order government were considering and measures had to be added as an emergency addition to the change order to protect the very existence of the only City in Cumbria.

Could the Traditional Cumberland Sausage be the one that is lost? due to the failure to looking at the wider impacts of local government changes outside the council chambers of Cumbria that the Local Government reorganisation changes will have.