The Portland Press Herald has published a front page story about one topic at the Transatlantic Trade Partnership negotiations of restrictions on using protected Geographic Indicators (“GI”s) in the trade names of cheeses. A trade agreement could ban the use of these GIs when exporting US cheese to other countries and could possible also ban the use of these GIs in US made sales sold in the US. This could affect Brie, Camembert, Gorgonzola, Gouda, Parmesan and even Feta (which is already a protected GI in Europe). A number of Guild members shared their thoughts with the PPH reporter on this issue. Maine Senator Angus King has publicly urged the USDA and US Trade Representative to fight EU efforts to protect the use of GI cheese names in cheese exported from the US.
Meeting: May 5 at Little Falls Farm in Harrison
Our May meeting was held at Little Falls Farm in Harrison. Although they are tucked away in the foothills of Western Maine this is a unique dairy that is well worth any length of drive to visit. Mary and John Belding raise a small herd of certified organic dairy goats on their little patch of fields and woods along the Crooked River. They make a *truly* farmstead product — a single variety of hard aged goat cheese called Riffle that is certified 100% organic because all ingredients besides the salt come from their farm, an excellent example of the breadth of varieties of cheeses made in Maine.
There was a presentation from David Mathieu (www.cheesesociety.org/david-mathieu-clauger-north-america), representative of Clauger North America. They are a French company recommended to us by Michael Kalish. They are involved in atmospheric controls at a new cheese cave in Crown Heights, NY.
We also had a presentation for a web site redesign that we will be considering for 2014.
Postcard From London
At the Neals Yard shoppe in Borough Market