On August 5-7, the terrorist country is holding its annual festival and competition, «Cheese Feast Peace» («Syr Pir Mir» in Russian), where the best Russian cheese will be chosen. This is a significant event for local cheesemakers, so it attracts the attention of many Russians.
As organizers of the ProCheese Awards 2021 and partners of the World Cheese Awards in Ukraine, we cannot stand aside and stay silent about this event.
What is wrong with such contests?
First, in the closed ecosystem in which Russia exists, it is impossible to conduct fair and impartial cheese competitions. Local experts cannot develop and discover new tastes because opportunities for travel and training are limited, while imports are under sanctions. The exchange of knowledge and experience is rapidly going to zero.
Secondly, the production of local cheeses such as «Russian Parmesan» or «Rostov Gruyere» spoils the cultural and historical heritage of countries that have been creating and improving the recipes of their world-famous cheeses for years.
What is wrong with the organizers and participants?
Most cheesemakers encourage the aggressive actions of their country because sanctions benefit them. Ordinary Russians cannot taste and buy foreign cheeses, so manufacturers no longer need to maintain high quality. A convenient situation, isn’t it? This is confirmed by numerous posts and videos on social networks from cheesemakers, where they openly express an unequivocal position «for the war».
And while our farms are suffering from Russian missile attacks, animals are dying, and cheesemakers are out of work, the organizer of «Cheese Feast Peace» («Syr Pir Mir») is holding a campaign: he displays cows in the form of the letter Z, films them on a drone and shares his active position on the Russian mass media. Therefore, the word «Peace» in the event’s title sounds like a mockery of the entire modern world, and instead of love, only hatred is put into the cheese.
Our neighbors are waging an insidious war against peace not only on the front lines but also on the cheese front.
We call on the international and Ukrainian cheese communities not to support the actions of the aggressor country in any way and to participate only in fair and ecological competitions.
This year, Russian cheeses will not participate in the prestigious international competition World Cheese Awards. For our part, we will continue to promote the exclusion of the aggressor from the international cheese community.
Ukrainian cheesemakers will soon receive good news regarding participation in the WCA, but more on that later.
