French cheese makers allowed to produce Gruyere, thanks to EU ruling PARIS, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- French cheese makers are now allowed to produce Gruyere cheese, the European Commission ruled Friday. Previously, only Swiss Gruyere was protected by the European Union's regional trading name system, Radio France Internationale reported. "The European Commission proposal to register the denomination 'Gruyere' as a protected geographical indicator has been approved" by an EU committee of experts, EU farming commission spokesman Roger Waite said. French Gruyere, however, must contain holes "between the size of a pea and a cherry," and identify on its packaging that it is of French origin. Australia, New Zealand and the United States objected to the recognition of French Gruyere as a distinct product.