Let the best ham win: reforming GI protection worldwide

The World Trade Organization failed to reach an agreement on the protection of geographical indications at its ministerial conference in Cancun last September. This means that there is as yet no international consensus on which GIs should be protected and how this should be achieved. Rachel Aaron of Hammonds in London looks at how the negotiations have progressed so far and explains that the European Union's more flexible approach post-Cancun may lead to a viable solution in the future.