EU Court Scolds Denmark, Rules Feta Is Exclusively Greek

Topline

European Union judges in Luxembourg ruled Thursday that Denmark was in violation of an EU geographic protection that declares “feta” a uniquely Greek cheese, a blow to Denmark, where companies had been labeling some hard cheeses as “feta” for nearly 60 years.

Key Facts

Denmark “failed to fulfill its obligations under EU law” by preventing Danish companies from exporting cheese labeled as “feta” outside the EU, the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice ruled, ending a 59-year era of Danish feta sales.

Feta is a traditional Greek cheese made from unpasteurized sheep or goat milk, which for the past 20 years has been declared by the EU not just a generic name, but a cheese that must come from Greece.

Key Background

Thursday’s ruling stems from a 2019 lawsuit from the European Commission – supported by Greece and Cyprus – against Danish feta, which the commission claimed violated the EU’s protected designation of origin status for feta. Denmark had argued a prohibition on its cheese exports – which average approximately 85,000 tons annually – would obstruct trade, primarily to India, Indonesia and the United States.

Big Number

120,000. That’s how many tons of feta are produced in Greece each year. Greece exports roughly one-third of that cheese, the equivalent of $200 million euros, providing jobs for more than 300,000 workers.

Further Reading

Hard cheese: EU court scolds Denmark over feta labels in win for Greece (Forbes)

‘Feta’ is Greek, EU top court says in snub to Denmark (Reuters)