Italy on Wednesday moved to defend its
iconic balsamic vinegar after Slovenia said any vinegar mixture
wit concentrated must could be called balsamic vinegar.
The farm ministry wrote to the European Commission contesting
Slovenia's move.
Agriculture Minister Stefano Patuanelli said last month that the
government will take action to defend Balsamic vinegar of Modena
from attempts by the Slovenia authorities to get around the
system that protects its authenticity.
The consortium of producers of Balsamic vinegar of Modena has
sounded that alarm after the Slovenian government notified the
European Commission of a national law which aims to transform
the denomination "balsamic vinegar" into a product standard.
This consortium says this conflicts with EU law and undermines
the PDO and PGI labelling system protecting the authenticity of
foods produced in a specific geographical area.
"The protection of Italian wine and gastronomy is one of the
government's priorities," said Patuanelli.
"So, we will do everything possible to defend Balsamic vinegar
of Modena from these illicit attacks".
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