Protecting food and drink names from 1 January 2021

The UK has left the EU, and the transition period following Brexit finishes at the end of 2020.

Geographical Indication (GI) schemes protect the geographical names of food, drink and agricultural products. The UK will set up its own geographical indication GI schemes which will fulfil its World Trade Organisation (WTO) obligations.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will:

• manage the UK schemes
• maintain the registers of protected product names
• process new applications

The UK schemes will protect the geographical names of:

• food, drink and agricultural products (including beer, cider and perry)
• spirit drinks
• wine
• aromatised wine

The new UK schemes will use these designations:

• Protected Designation of Origin (PDO)
• Protected Geographical Indication (PGI)
• Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG)

The UK schemes will be open to producers from the UK and other countries.

New UK GI logos are available to download and can be used from 1 January 2021. They will identify products protected under the UK schemes.

All UK GI's registered under the EU GI schemes by the end of the transition period should continue to receive protection in the EU.

This is a free service.

Food and drink producers with ‘geographical indication’ (GI) protection.

All existing UK products registered under the EU’s GI schemes by the end of the transition period will remain protected under the UK GI schemes.

From 1 January 2021, new product producers will need to apply to the relevant:

• UK scheme to protect a new product name in Great Britain (GB)
• EU scheme to protect a new product name in Northern Ireland (NI) and the EU

Visit the UK Government website for more information and to download the new UK GI logos.