Legislature seeks to protect use of cheese names

Members of the state Legislature are hitting back against a European Union proposal to restrict the use of common cheese names by American cheesemakers. As part of its trade negotiations with the U.S., the EU is insisting that Parmesan, Gorgonzola, Edam, Muenster, and other varieties of cheese made in the U.S. are not worthy of their European-derived names and that those names should not be used by U.S. manufacturers. The EU’s proposal has gotten the attention of the Legislature, which introduced a joint resolution on Wednesday, co-sponsored by Rep. Warren Petryk (R-Eleva) and Sen. Jerry Petrowski (R-Marathon), that calls on U.S. negotiators to protect the rights of U.S. cheesemakers. It’s an issue that’s particularly important to Wisconsin, whose dairy industry contributes $26.5 billion each year to the economy.