These two women believe that competent authorities should take into account that small producers do not seek to become an industry and do not have the same risks. Small artisanal producers don’t need the same investments, especially in infrastructures as they do not produce in big quantities.  The solution is, for these two women, that there should be a basic general legislation for everyone, big or small producer, but there should also be a specific legislation for small artisanal products as these particular products have their own characteristics.

“We are allergic to life, afraid of microbes and applaud anything chemical” says the small producer from Oiartzun, at the foot of Peñas de Aia a mountain in Guipuzcoa.
There are other additional voices, for example from a woman that produces morcillas (black puddings) from Las Encartaciones, region from Bizkaia. It is possible to buy her product in farmers markets all over the Basque Country. This morcilla does not have health registration, however, it is well known and appreciated by gastronomes and awarded by the jury of gastronomic contests. She does not use machinery and her morcilla is kneaded  with her own hands using artisanal funnels. She produces small amounts and she does not aspire to grow in production. As a small artisanal producer she claims that her investments should be small as they can not be the same league as those needed by an industrial scale meat producer. She believes that the institutions should recognise the value of artisanal products, handmade and elaborated and with no additives and preservatives, and fight to stop them disappearing.

The “Appellation of Origin” of the Idiazabal cheese supports this idea. Others, however, forget about the importance of the breed and favour productivity. There are more than 100 cheese farmers, members of the Idiazabal A.O. that have their own flock of sheep and they produce cheese with latxa milk. There are other cheese makers that buy the milk of the latxa sheep to make the cheese from, and finally there are some others, about two or three big companies, that buy the milk to produce the cheese in an industrial, rather than artisanal, way. If these big companies meet the requirements for the production of the cheese, their cheese is also certified as from Idiazabal. But there is unfair competition, generated by the industry and sometimes with the support of the small producers, who feel pressured by the market situation and the law of supply and demand. The companies involved push to obtain lower prices, generating more demand for this type of cheese, from limited production.

In 2007, a fraud was revealed when the A.O. detected that there was a cheese farm that used to make the cheese with milk from outside the Basque Country and from other sheep breeds. By using non latxa milk they could double the production of the Idiazabal cheese and meet the high levels demand. However, this is not the norm, the strict controls and inspections of the Idiazabal A.O. try to keep these kinds of fraudulent actions at bay.

Currently confusion reigns on the shelves of large supermarket chains. The industrial farms that elaborate the idiazabal cheese on a larger scale have created a parallel brand: “Etxegarai”. This is a copy of Idiazabal cheese, but made with cheaper sheep’s milk from other breeds. It is cheaper, but its marketing and branding are identical to Idiazabal cheese. The A.O., is very careful and supervise that this type of cheese it is not sold as an Idiazabal cheese. To produce Idiazabal cheese only milk from the latxa and carranzana sheeps can be used, however big cheese companies make other cheeses, similar to the Idiazabal, and they are within their right to do so. These cheeses are made the same way as the Idiazabal cheese and it is very difficult to appreciate the difference between them or to determine the type of sheep breed has produced the milk. These cheeses are quality cheeses but without the added value that comes with supporting the families that work to maintain the latxa race. The A.O. doesn’t just support the latxa breed but also the land management and exploitation of local territory. This is an age old battle, but currently, all eyes are looking at the supermarkets and how to avoid confusion in the consumer on the shelves.