Protecting geographical food and drink names in Northern Ireland

The UK protected food name schemes protect registered product names when they are sold in England, Scotland and Wales. The UK schemes and designations are similar to the European Union (EU) schemes and may protect:

• food, agricultural products, beer, cider and perry
• wine
• aromatised wine
• spirit drinks

Products registered on the EU schemes prior to 1 January 2021 have been automatically transferred to the UK schemes.

The UK has the following designations of protection for protected food name products.

Protected designation of origin (PDO)

To get a PDO for your product you must produce, process and prepare it in the geographical area you identify in your application. You must use local knowledge and, where relevant, traditional skills to produce it.

A product with a PDO is recognised for its qualities and characteristics that are exclusively a result of the geographical area it comes from. Examples include Cornish clotted cream or Orkney beef.

Protected geographical indication (PGI)

To get a PGI for your product, you must carry out at least one important stage of preparation in the geographical area you identify in your application. That's either production, processing or preparing the product.

A product with a PGI is recognised for its reputation, qualities or characteristics attributed to the local area, such as Welsh lamb or Armagh Bramley apples.

Traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG)

To get a TSG for your product, you must:

• have a traditional name that's been in use for 30 years or more
• produce it using traditional methods or a traditional recipe

A product with TSG protection does not need to be produced in a specific geographical area. Examples include:

• traditionally farmed Gloucestershire Old Spots pork
• traditional farm-fresh turkey

Geographical indications (GI)

The GI scheme is for spirit drinks and aromatised wines. A protected spirit drink name originates in a territory of a country or a region or locality within that territory. The spirit drink's quality, reputation or distinctive characteristic is attributed to its geographical location.

Logos for protected products in UK schemes

Rules on how you use a UK GI logo are specific to each UK GI scheme. They also vary depending on:

• where the protected product is sold
• when the protected product was registered (before or after 1 January 2021)

Existing agri-food products protected under the UK schemes sold in Great Britain must use the appropriate UK GI logos by 1 January 2024. Newly registered products must now use the appropriate logo. The use of logos is optional for wines and spirit drinks. 

Read the rules on adding a UK GI scheme logo to a protected food or drink name.