November 25, 2019 - The European Commission announced that Pag cheese is enrolled in the register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications

Index.hr writes that the process of protecting the name "Pag cheese”, or what you may know better as ‘Paški sir’, began in July 2017, when the Pag Cheese Producers' Association on the island of Pag submitted a request to the Ministry of Agriculture for its protection. 

The Republic of Croatia now has 24 agricultural and food products registered in the European Union as a protected designation of origin or a protected geographical indication. With Pag cheese, the following other Croatian products are registered: Krk prosciutto, Cres extra virgin olive oil, Neretva mandarins, Ogulin sour cabbage, Baranja kulen, Lika potatoes, prosciutto from Istria, Drniš, Krka and Dalmatia, Poljički soparnik, Zagorje turkey, Krk olive oil, Korcula olive oil, Pag lamb, Solta olive oil, Varaždin cabbage, Slavonian kulen, Međimurje meat ‘z tiblice’, Slavonian honey, Lika lamb, Pag salt, and Zagorje mince. The EU trademark or geographical indication on the packaging guarantees the consumer an authentic product.

This is yet another recognition for Croatian agricultural products after the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Phil Hogan, and Agriculture Minister Marija Vuckovic confirmed the first six protected Croatian products on the Chinese market. They include Neretva mandarins, Baranja kulen, Dalmatian prosciutto, Drniš prosciutto, Lika potatoes and Dingač. They will even list a seventh product, Istrian prosciutto, but as a protected product of Croatia and Slovenia.

The geographical area of Pag cheese production includes the island of Pag and the two islands of Maun and Škrda. Pag cheese is hard sheep cheese made from whole fat sheep's milk of the original breed of Pag sheep. Milk for the production of Pag cheese is obtained from Pag sheep grown semi-extensively throughout the year in fenced pastures within the geographical area of production. 

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