EU system for geographical indications for agricultural

products and foodstuffs

Brussels, 22.04.2013

Michael ERHARTEuropean Commission

DG Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentUnit H2 – Agricultural product quality policy

2 types: PDO and PGI

1. geographical area + + =

2. specific product

3. causal link 4. PGI or PDO2

PDO and PGI

• Protection identical

• Community symbol: differences in colour… but not in black and white

• 14% EU consumer recognition (2012)

3

Benefits - producer

• Name is reserved to products respecting the specification and are produced in a delimited geographical area (IP protection)

• Administrative protection by public authorities• Name is not reserved to 1 single owner (TM), but

can be used by all producers respecting the specification

• Differentiation on the market allows often a better price and better division of the added value

4

IP protection

• Protection to the NAME not to the product.

• Right to use: applies to ‘any operator’ respecting product specification

• Protection indefinite (but possibility of cancellation if no use for 7 years)

5

IP protection

Protection against wrongful uses:

•direct or indirect use of a registered name on non-originating product;

•misuse, imitation or evocation, even if name is translated;

•any other false or misleading indication or other practice liable to mislead consumer

6

Sales value

• Sales value of EU GIs: €54.3 billion in 2010 (estimated at wholesale stage in the region of production)

• 5.7% of the total EU food and drink sector

• Estimate of EU GI exports value: € 11.5 billion

• 15% of EU food and drink industry exports

Number of GIs

Success reflected in the number of registered Geographical indications (GIs) in the EU:

• 1561 Wines• 332 Spirit Drinks• 1130 Foodstuffs - of which 14 from third

countries (mainly Asia)

8

Sales value by scheme

Year 2010

Source: AND study for the European Commission

Sales destination

• 60% of sales take place on the domestic market, 20% on the EU market and 20% in third countries• 663 GIs sold only in their MS of production• 1525 GIs exported (1224 wines, 231 agri products, 70 spirits)• Wines + spirits = 90% of total GI exports (in value)

Source: AND study for the European Commission

Value premium

•the premium a GI can expect from the market, compared to non-GI products

in average, the price of a GI product is 2.23 times the price of a comparable non-GI products Value premium rate in the EU27 by scheme

1.55

2.57

2.75

0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00

Agr prod. and food.

Spirits

Wine

More information

Agricultural products and foodstuffs:

• Council and European Parliament Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2012:343:0001:0029:EN:PDF

• DOOR databasehttp://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/database/index_en.htm

• Quality policy web-pages: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/index_en.htm

12