Lough Neagh Eels first to win EU protection

Northern Ireland's Lough Neagh eels have become the region's first food to win EU protected legal status against imitators.

The EU decision puts the eels, from the largest wild eel fishery in Europe, on a par with French champagne, Melton Mowbray pork pies, Cornish pasties, Parma ham,Gorgonzola and Camembert de Normandie.

Other Northern Ireland products likely to win EU legal backing soon are bramley apples from County Armagh and New Season Comber potatoes from County Down.

Nearly all the eels caught from Lough Neagh, County Antrim - more than 400 tonnes last year - are eaten outside Northern Ireland, especially as smoked eels in the Netherlands and northern Germany. The eels are also shipped to Billingsgate market in London, where they often feature in eel pies. They now have protected geographical indication (PGI) status.

Father Oliver Kennedy, chairman of the Lough Neagh Fishermen's Co-operative Society, formed in 1965, which has exclusive rights to eel fishing on the lough, said: "We are thrilled to have become the first in Northern Ireland to achieve PGI status.

"It is a reward for the fishermen around the lough who continue to fish using methods passed down from previous generations. Gaining the PGI will help us to continue to sell Lough Neagh eels in the European market and will hopefully also help to raise the profile of the industry."

The eels are reared and fished using traditional methods and sustainable techniques. PGI status is, in effect, and EC quality accreditation.

Introduced in 1993, PGI legislation protects food names on a geographical or traditional recipe basis.

The scheme highlights regional and traditional foods whose authenticity and origin can be guaranteed. Under this system a named food or drink registered at a European level will be given legal protection against imitation throughout the EU.

The eels in Lough Neagh travel over 4,000 miles to breed in the Sargasso Sea and the young fry return by drifting on the Gulfstream back over the Atlantic and enter the River Bann as young elvers. Around 100 fishermen currently work the lough.

The lough, one of the largest freshwater lakes in Europe, also has its own unique species of fish, such as the Dollaghan, a huge trout, and Pollan, a small freshwater herring, most of which are exported fresh to top restaurants in Switzerland.