Malta’s traditional sheep cheese the ġbejna tan-nagħaġ is to join a coveted list of protected foodstuffs by the European Commission.  

The ‘Protected Designation of Origin’ status will be officially granted to the traditional cheese in the coming days, European Parliament president Roberta Metsola said on Wednesday.

Local producers had formally submitted the application last September. 

Once confirmed, the ġbejna tan-nagħaġ will join a list that includes cheeses like Parmigiano Reggiano, Feta, Gorgonzola and Camembert as well as roughly 2,000 other foods and wines from across the world.

“All this means that it will not only be us Maltese and Gozitans who protect and promote the sheep's goat with foreigners and tourists, but it will be Europe itself that advertises this Maltese product as a product artisanal and regional. Unique in the world,” underlined Metsola.

‘Protected Designation of Origin’ status is the EU’s highest form of intellectual property right protection for foods, drinks and spirits.

To qualify, every part of the production, processing and preparation process must take place in the specific region.

Famous examples of such protection include the French sparkling wine champagne and Greece’s Kalamata olives, both of which are made in their eponymous regions from start to finish.

Foods granted such status must mention that on their product labels.

The ġbejna tan-nagħaġ is made out of 100 per cent sheep’s milk, reared in local flocks registered in the Maltese islands. It can be sold fresh (‘ġbejna tan-nagħaġ friska’), air-dried (‘ġbejna tan-nagħaġ niexfa’) or pickled and peppered (‘ġbejna tan-nagħaġ tal-bżar’).

Work to have the ġbejna listed on the EU register began several years ago but was stymied following objections by milk producer Benna, which successfully lobbied for the application to be revised to only cover ġbejna tan-nagħaġ, or sheep-made cheeslets.

The change means ġbejniet made from the milk of other animals, such as cows or goats, will not be covered by the EU protection mark.

But local herdsmen are already planning their next move. Last September, a spokesperson for the Xirka Produtturi Nagħaġ u Mogħoż told Times of Malta that it intends to file an application to obtain protected status for ġbejna tal-mogħoż (goat cheese). 

Malta was one of just two EU member states without a single foodstuff listed on the coveted protection list, along with Estonia.

Most EU member states have dozens of protected foods, with gastronomical giants like France and Italy well over 800.