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International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Thursday, 28.03.2024, 12:37

Protecting EU agro-products’ quality: new challenge for the Baltic States

Eugene Eteris, European Studies Faculty, RSU, Riga, 15.06.2016.Print version
The EU geographical/designation protection schemes encourage agricultural production, protect product names from misuse and imitation and help consumers to see specific products’ character. The EU-wide schemes have been recently enlarged to 1349 agro-products and 2090 names for wine. Protection logos are compulsory for products of EU origin from January 2016.

The European Commission has approved the registration of eight new product names from Croatia, France, Germany, Portugal and Spain as Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) and Protected Designations of Origin (PDO).

 

Names registered enjoy protection against any misuse, imitation or evocation of their name.


A group of producers must define the product according to precise specifications. If producer is in the EU-28, application is forwarded to the corresponding national authority.  

 

Registration as a Geographical Indication (GI) gives wide protection to the registered names, functioning as an intellectual property right for products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.


Web links for product group files: Fresh meat; Meat products; Cheeses; Other products of animal origin; Oils and fats; Fruit, vegetables and cereals; Other products of annex I; Beers; Waters; Bread, pastry, confectionery, etc.  


New registered names

The eight new names (approved in Brussels, 14 June 2016) bring the number of protected food names in EU to 1349; they include Protected Designations of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) and Traditional Specialities Guaranteed (TSG). “General” wines, as well as aromatised wines and spirits are also protected with over 2090 names registered.

 

The new eight products added are:

 

·         For Croatia: ‘Zagorski puran’ (PGI), turkey from the Croatian Zagorje breed;

·         For France: ‘Poulet de l’Ardèche’/‘Chapon de l'Ardèche’ (PGI), free-range chickens and capons; ‘Pintade de l’Ardèche’ (PGI), guinea fowl bred outdoors; ‘Soumaintrain’ (PGI), a soft cheese; ‘Sel de Salies-de-Béarn’ (PGI), salt;

·         For Germany: ‘Allgäuer Sennalpkäse’ (PDO), a hard cheese;

·         For Portugal: 'Fogaça da Feira' (PGI), a sweet bun with a flavour and aroma of lemon and cinnamon;

·         For Spain: 'Gall del Penedès’ (PGI), chickens of the traditional Penedesenca breed.

 

Commissioner Phil Hogan responsible for EU agricultural development underlined on the occasion of newly approved products that the addition of eight new products from five EU states to the PGI and PDO registers has shown the great interest in and value of the EU geographical indications’ system.

 

He added that it was encouraging to see high-quality European food getting the recognition they deserved. Besides, it was interesting to see the range of new products added to the EU registers.

 

The high-quality products benefit European farmers and food producers; they show that the EU attaches high priority to their protection in international trade.


Importance for trade outside EU

The sales value of GIs represented €54.3 billion for all categories (agricultural products, wines, aromatised wines and spirits, according to 2010 data), which represents about 6% of the whole EU agro-food and drink sector.

 

Through trade agreements, possibilities are offered for protecting European GIs in third countries giving quality products with strong export potential an easier introduction into international markets or even the possibility to expand the business for those already present on the market. About 15% of all EU food and beverages exported to third countries in 2010 were GI products.

The introduction of a GI boosts farmers' revenues and helps to maintain the population in less favoured or remote areas by promoting the rural economy. It also increases the market value of the products of economic operators, by guaranteeing that they are distinguishable from other similar products or foodstuffs.

 

In addition, thanks to the introduction of this designation, consumers will able be to make more informed choices on the basis of clear information on the specific characteristics of the products they buy.


Protective signs: PDO, PGI & TSG

The following EU schemes encourage diverse agricultural production, protect product names from misuse and imitation and help consumers by giving them information concerning the specific character of the products:



= Protected Designation of Origin – PDO:  covers agricultural products and foodstuffs which are produced, processed and prepared in a given geographical area using recognised know-how.

= Protected Geographical Indication – PGI: covers agricultural products and foodstuffs closely linked to the geographical area. At least one of the stages of production, processing or preparation takes place in the area.


Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG)

= Traditional Speciality Guaranteed – TSG:  highlights traditional character, either in the composition or means of production.

 

Source: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/schemes/index_en.htm.

Note: there could be denial of protection; for example, list of cancellations, see in:

http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/schemes/cancellations_en.pdf.


EU agro-quality legislation

In January 2013, the new EU “agro-food quality Regulation” entered into force. It aimed at encouraging the diversification of agricultural production, protect product names from misuse and imitation and help consumers providing information on product characteristics and farming attributes.

 

According to the Commission, new Regulation on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs achieves a simplified regime for several quality schemes by putting them under one single legal instrument. Furthermore, it creates a more robust framework for the protection and promotion of quality agricultural products.

 

The key elements of the new Regulation include:

 

·         more coherence and clarity to the EU quality schemes;

·         a reinforcement of the existing scheme for protected designations of origin and geographical indications (PDOs and PGIs);

·         overhauling the traditional specialities guaranteed scheme (TSGs); and

·         laying down a new framework for the development of optional quality terms to provide consumers with further information, it creates and protects the optional quality term "mountain product".

 

Main features of Regulation also include:

 

For PDOs and PGIs (excluding wines, aromatised wines and spirits which remain covered by separate legislation) the following is envisaged:

 

·         faster registration procedures as in particular the opposition period is halved from six to three months;

·         the rules on controls are clarified;

·         the use of the PDO and PGI logos are compulsory for products of EU origin from 4 January 2016 onwards;

·         a legal basis for inserting third country GI protected through bilateral agreements into the EU register is created;

·         a legal basis for financing the defense of the EU logos is established;

·         the role of producer groups is recognised.

 

The Regulation sees at:

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2012:343:0001:0029:en:PDF.

 

For more information see the following web links:

 

= Webpages on quality products; = DOOR database of protected agricultural products (Database of Origin & Registration); = E-BACCHUS database of protected wines.

For EU quality products see: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/index_en.htm;

Source: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-2172_en.htm






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