A favourite of 19th century miners who took them down the pit and a popular lunch to this day, the Cornish pasty and other delicacies with EU protected status could be threatened if Britain leaves the bloc. The pasty -- a D-shape of pastry filled with beef, potato, swede, onion and seasoning -- has been given protected geographical indication (PGI) status by the European Union as a mark of quality.
In Cornwall, southwest England, where the pasty is a symbol of local identity as well as a tasty delicacy, some manufacturers are wary of what will happen. Marion Symonds, boss of Portreath Bakery, said that if the snacks lost the PGI status they gained in 2011, similar products made outside Cornwall could also be called Cornish pasties, compromising quality. Other British foodstuffs given protected PGI status include Scotch whisky and Melton Mowbray pork pies. Elsewhere in the EU, Italian balsamic vinegar from Modena and German beer from Munich have PGI status.
Legend has it that Cornish pasties were popularised by tin miners, who ate them underground holding the crust before discarding it to avoid arsenic poisoning. Miners took pasty recipes with them around the world as they travelled to work in countries like Australia and Mexico, where they are still eaten to this day. The Cornish Pasty Association, a body which represents the local industry, this month declared its support for EU membership, saying it would be "wholly inappropriate" to risk the hard-earned status.
Intellectual property lawyers say it is hard to know whether British PGI foods would lose their protected status if it left the EU as no country has ever withdrawn before. They predict a period of uncertainty but suggest it could eventually be possible to reach a reciprocal arrangement between Britain and the EU to maintain the current regime.
Not all Cornish pasty makers believe that the EU is good for them, protected status or not. John Beard set up the Pasty Line, which makes Cornish pasties for bakeries, pubs and nursing homes, with his now ex-wife in 1993. While Beard acknowledged that PGI status is "very useful", he said the amount of bureaucracy which the EU imposes on businesses will make him vote to leave.
