The Newmarket sausage protected by Brussels: why?

Andrew Parsons/PA Archive/Press Association Images

The European Commission has awarded 'protected status' to the Newmarket Sausage, giving it a status previously reserved for things like the Cornish pasty, the Melton Mowbray pork pie - oh and Champagne and Parma ham if that's the kind of thing you go for.

So why has it gained this status, and what difference does it make?
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