EU negotiators are demanding Britain brings in laws to protect special status products such as Champagne, Parma ham and French cognac

EU negotiators are demanding Britain brings in new laws to protect special status products such as Champagne, Parmesan and Jean-Claude Juncker’s favourite tipple - French cognac.

Leaked documents reveals concern in Brussels that Brexit will threaten the EU’s rules on protecting geographically sensitive food and drink products.

It will come to a surprise to British negotiators - who had been told by their EU counterparts that talks on future trade will only start once Theresa May agrees to pay a multi-billion pound divorce bill.

The EU’s position paper - seen by the Financial Times - calls for intellectual property rights held by specialist food and drink producers “not to be undermined by the withdrawal of the UK from the EU”.

It proposes keeping existing rules in place for European and British products after Brexit.

So it would protect Italian Prosecco producers from copy-cat attempts in Britain - but also protect British brands such as Cornish pasties, Cumberland sausages and Melton Mowbray pork pies.

The EU document says “specific domestic legislation” may be needed in the UK to keep in place the 3,300 protected food and drink products that are linked to a specific geographical location.

Sales of protected status products account for 6 per cent of the EU’s food and drink sector - worth £50billion.