Pigs bring home the bacon for New Forest as UK protected status for pannage ham granted

LOVERS of New Forest Pannage Ham have cause to squeal with delight after it gained official UK protected status.

The government announced today (Thursday) that the speciality meat was successfully registered under its Geographical Indication (UKGI) scheme.

Full nationwide protection and recognition as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) means consumers can be confident they are buying the genuine article.

Producers’ efforts are also protected as people will now be able to turn up their noses and snort with derision at any imitation products and avoid being misled.

New Forest Pannage Ham PGI is an air-dried ham made specifically with pork from pigs released onto the New Forest during the pannage season.

The 1,000-year-old tradition, retained in the district, sees the animals turned out in the autumn to eat acorns which are poisonous to ponies.

It is the eating of the acorns and beech mast (nuts) during this time that give their meat a buttery, nutty flavour. It is also a darker colour than pork from pigs which have not been fed on acorns.

Air drying preserves and accentuates the flavour, while salting of pannage pork to preserve it has been carried out in the area for centuries.

Food minister Mark Spencer said: “New Forest Pannage Ham now carries the same protection as Melton Mowbray Pork Pies and Welsh Leeks.

“Our traditional foods help to form the backdrop of British life, and with a 1,000-year heritage New Forest Pannage Ham is a part of our national food story.

“I look forward to sampling some New Forest Pannage Ham myself and celebrating this wonderful product with a unique history.”

New Forest Pannage Ham is much in demand, with local butchers and farm shops bombarded with requests, including from London restaurants.

As reported in the A&T, they struggled to fulfil this demand in 2021 when a poor yield of acorns meant fewer pigs were turned out onto the Forest that autumn.

GIs are a form of intellectual property protection which specifies particular characteristics of a product and link them to a place or tradition.

They recognise the heritage and provenance of products, mostly food and drink.

A full list of UK protected goods, along with details of the scheme, labels and application requirements, can be found online at gov.uk/protected-food-drink-names