US wants bite of Cornish pasty market

AMERICA is lobbying for the right to sell its own versions of Cornish pasties to Britain after Brexit comes into force.

EU rules mean official Cornish pasties can only be made in Cornwall to a traditional recipe. Melton Mowbray pork pies, Cumberland sausages and Scotch are also protected under the geographic laws.

But a US-UK trade deal could see Britain flooded with cheap imports if the EU law is axed. Shawna Morris, of the US Dairy Export Council, said the current arrangements were ‘preposterous’. She added that the ‘Brexit process provides the UK with a great opportunity for taking a much more reasonable approach’ to the issue.

However, the Cornish Pasty Association is lobbying Whitehall to replace the EU law with a replica version. Marion Symonds, 50, of Portreath Bakery, warned: ‘These guys [the Americans] coming in will wreck all the hard work being done in Cornwall to keep our heritage safe.’

No10 said: ‘These are all things that are going to be subject to negotiation.’

The dispute comes as a US company took the honours at the World Pasty Championships after putting pineapple in its pasty.