A newspaper has launched a sizzling campaign to give the Lincolnshire sausage protected status.

The Lincolnshire Echo’s Save Our Sausages campaign is in support of local butchers who are calling for only sausages actually made in the county to have the sole right to be labelled ‘Lincolnshire sausages’.

A survey conducted by the Echo looking at sausages sold in Lincolnshire supermarkets found that the majority of so-called ‘Lincolnshire sausages’ were made as far away as Manchester and Kent.

Deputy editor Richard Bowyer, who has been leading the campaign, said: “Lincolnshire sausages made in Lincolnshire are, of course, the best sausages.

“The problem is that these pretenders to the crown are doing a disservice to our county by attaching its name to sausages that are not good quality.”

The Echo is supporting Spalding butcher George Adams and 14 other butchers’ firms in their mission to get the European Parliament to make it illegal for anyone outside the county to market their product as ‘Lincolnshire sausages’.

They aim to lobby the European Parliament in Brussels within the next three months. If successful George’s business and the other 14 firms will form a single unit of producers’ organisation such as the one that exists to protect Stilton cheese.

Other British protected products are Newcastle Brown Ale and Jersey Potatoes.

Richard said: “When we petition the European Parliament we will present them with cuttings of all the stories covering our Save Our Sausages campaign.

“We don’t know how long it will take the European Parliament to produce the legislation that will protect the Lincolnshire sausage, but we aim to take our action within the next three months.

“Hopefully, the powers-that-be will take this seriously, and will protect the Lincolnshire sausage.”

In order to apply for protected status the campaigners will have to prove that the Lincolnshire sausage recipe has been in existence for more than 100 years – and they say the evidence is there.

A festival celebrating the heritage of the Lincolnshire sausage was organised by Tastes of Lincolnshire and the Rotary Club, the Echo conducted a series of vox-pop interviews.

Richard said: “Hundreds of people gave pledges of their support for protecting the Lincolnshire sausage. The feedback from our readers has been very positive.”

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