While Australia remains committed to the pursuit of a free trade agreement with the European Union, negotiations came across a major roadblock last week. The root of the issue strikes at the heart of our most beloved culinary assets: feta and prosecco.
Imagine this: you’re savouring smashed avocado toast or indulging in a Greek salad adorned with that crumbly, white brine-based cheese we all know as feta.
Now, picture a world where feta can no longer be called feta. The European Union is demanding that Australian producers completely relinquish the use of the term ‘feta.’
That sparkling, effervescent elixir we love—prosecco—is also under attack. The EU wants us to stop indulging in prosecco unless we call it something else.
These demands have sent shockwaves throughout Australian cheese and wine producers, many of them of Greek and Italian immigrant background.
Greek Australian cheese maker Kris Lloyd AM of Woodside Cheese Wrights in South Australia told Neos Kosmos, “You can’t fly to or land on feta, it is not a geographical indicator; I struggle with the EU’s approach because you know and I know what feta means—it means a slice of a slab.”
“Feta is not a destination like Champagne.”
Prosecco, she added, is a variety of grape, and any change to the name would hurt the industry deeply.
The Greek Australian cheesemaker said that there’s a “very emotional side to it, and there’s also an economic side” to the argument.
“Greek and Italian immigrants who came here brought those traditional recipes here and they developed them here,” Lloyd said.
She said that they adjusted those recipes to use local milk and stringent Australian biosecurity rules.
“They are Australian citizens now, and they brought that knowhow here and forged industries, forged businesses, and really paved the way for that style of cheese to get recognition in Australia.”
“They’ve been flying the Greek and Italian cheese flag for years, you know, in marketing it here, so that created an awareness for all the imports that be coming in.”
Lloyd maintains that these immigrant cheese and wine makers established a “unique Australian version of a feta or a drink like prosecco and became a gateway for imports from Greece or Italy.”
On the way, the Commonwealth Government is handling the negotiations; Lloyd calls for more consultation with local producers.
“There needs to be more consultation with producers, and, you know, I think if they did go out to producers, they’d probably find most of them are generations stemming from immigrants.”
She said that any change that stops Australian producers from using terms like “feta” would have a deep economic impact, according to the cheese maker.
“The impact would be profound because someone who has read a recipe that needs feta would not be able to find it in the supermarket unless they buy an imported one.”
“Recipe books were written years ago, and they’re not going to say, ‘oh, well, you know, go and find salad white salad cheese.’ They’re not going to find that in as a recipe ingredient.”
Trade Minister Don Farrell, who is in Brussels for talks, said he remained optimistic.
“With some goodwill, some hard work, some perseverance, we’re going to get there.”
Lloyd is happy that the trade minister has baulked at the EU demands, and is hopeful. She wants to “get something meaningful out of negotiations” and underscores the need for “consultation with industry and with producers” in any negotiation.
“We need to understand what we have got a lot to lose. We all want more trade, we all want to sell more, but at what cost?” she asked.
“The EU has a competitive advantage, and we’re going in going into battle with one hand behind our back. It also undermines multiculturalism.”
“Greek, Italian, and other immigrants came to Australia and developed industries, and we’ve paved the way for these particular cheeses flooding in as imports.”
Lloyd also talked about exports and said her company exports to the United States and Singapore. She fears that not being able to use terms like feta would undermine her company’s competitive advantage.
“I export feta to the US and Singapore. Feta is a household name; it’s a style; it’s a word that describes a style of cheese, and it’s a household name that people have been accustomed to.”
“What about pizza? What do we call it, toasted bread with toppings?” Lloyd asked.