Baked in the heart of the east Midlands countryside by just 10 certified producers, the humble Melton Mowbray pork pie is an unlikely bargaining chip in future US-UK trade negotiations.
While in transit to the G7 summit in Biarritz, Boris Johnson insisted any trade agreement with Donald Trump must involve the removal of red tape in US markets related to the pork delicacy, which he claimed was exported to Thailand and Iceland.
There is only one problem: Melton Mowbray pork pies are not exported to Thailand or Iceland, according to Matthew O’Callaghan, the chairman of the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association.
Downing Street has hit back, insisting Walker and Son, a certified Melton Mowbray pork pie producer, does export them to Thailand or Iceland. The Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association has since confirmed to the Guardian that the bakery does not export outside the EU and does not send the pies to Reykjavik and Bangkok.
Earlier on Monday, O’Callaghan told the Guardian he did not know of a producer that sent its products to Reykjavik and Bangkok. But Walker and Son was reportedly used as an example in a 2015 briefing document from the British-American Business Group, during the TTIP negotiations.
It is understood that a small number of pies were sent to Iceland and Thailand as part of a trial in 2015, but Walker and Son have not exported pies to either country for at least a couple of years.
The dispute arose after Johnson told the media: “Melton Mowbray pork pies, which are sold in Thailand and in Iceland, are currently unable to enter the US market because of, I don’t know, some sort of Food and Drug Administration restriction.”
O’Callaghan questioned the prime minister’s comments and said: “I don’t know of anywhere we export with the exception of maybe Ireland. I don’t know of anybody who sells to Thailand or Iceland. It’s a perishable, short-lifespan product.”
The bow-walled pie, filled with British pork and bone marrow jelly, is protected by European law by a protected geographical indication mark, which recognises the freestanding baking method, the filling and the geographical uniqueness of a Melton Mowbray pork pie.
The delicacy, made in and around the Leicestershire town, could lose the protection if the UK leaves the EU without a deal, leaving the pie vulnerable to copycat producers. The Melton Mowbray pork pie gained official protection in 2006 after a lengthy court battle, and producers fear that post-Brexit trade deals could be a threat to the pie’s status internationally.
O’Callaghan said: “Johnson talks about opening our pies up [to more exports]. That’s great, but if you’re opening up a Mowbray pork pie so they can make it in Kansas, that’s not good.
“We want trade opened up but only on the basis the pie is protected. We don’t want a deal and to then suddenly find American companies producing it,” he said, adding that he would post a Melton Mowbray pork pie to Johnson and Trump.
The golden-brown pies, which must include uncured pork, salt, lard, wheat flour, water, pork gelatine and spices, were first commercialised in the 19th century and experienced a boom in the railway age. Melton Mowbray pork pies were even exported to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in refrigerated cargo ships but exports ended because of the first world war.
Since the 1980s, the pie has experienced a renaissance, aided by the European mark of authenticity that only 10 producers can use.
On the issue about whether the Melton Mowbray name could be protected under a future US-UK trade deal – the particular barrier the trade association pointed to – the government official said: “I think the boss was very clear that the Americans, in the trade negotiations, will be tough from various angles.
“The particular issue the company faced was red tape and food standards, particularly to the US, which just made it very, very difficult to get their products into the US.”
After the prime minister’s comments, the MP for the area, Sir Alan Duncan, posted on Twitter:
US here we come! Melton Mowbray pork pies are a million times better than McDonald’s! US get ready for good eat-in in all US towns! @meltontimes @leicslive pic.twitter.com/dnPnSGytZ0
— Sir Alan Duncan MP (@AlanDuncanMP) August 25, 2019
O’Callaghan said more exports were possible if the pies were frozen and baked, citing the example of Cornish pasties. But fears about the pie’s future remain.
“If there is a no deal, we are no longer protected and covered in the EU. After intensive lobbying, we got the government to agree to a version of the EU scheme but only operable in the UK,” he added.
A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson said: “After Brexit, we are determined to look after our great British brands, and that’s why we are committed to protecting the provenance and heritage of some of the nation’s best-loved food and drink products. The UK is ready to launch its own GI [geographical indication] schemes at the point at which EU rules cease to apply.
“We’re working closely with UK producers to ensure they are prepared for leaving the EU on 31 October, whatever the circumstances.”
