Why Geographical Indications Can Support Sustainable Development in European Agri-Food Landscapes

Implementing the European Green Deal and transforming agricultural practices requires a wider and amplified policy toolbox. As many sustainability considerations are context-dependent, there is a need for instruments, which take individual characteristics of production landscapes into account. Food products with a particularly strong relationship to their landscape of origin can be marketed under the “Protected Designation of Origin” label (PDO). In this article, we analyze synergies between PDO production and regional sustainable development by assessing to what extent social-ecological landscape characteristics appear in landscapes with PDO-labeled food production systems. Building upon 12 social-ecological variables we defined three landscape characteristics influential for the presence of PDOs by using a principal component analysis. By running regression models combining those characteristic landscapes with the spatial distribution of PDO certification we were able to explore linkages between landscapes and products. Additionally, a geographically weighted regression delivered insights into the regional differences and product-specific relationships throughout the EU countries. Overall, we could prove the assumed positive correlation between PDO production and ecologically valuable landscapes. Further, we showed that mostly meat PDOs coincide with landscapes influenced by structural change, while cheese PDOs are not well captured by our models despite their large number. We can conclude that PDOs have the potential to jointly support conservation and rural development, especially when they would be tied to sustainable management standards in the future.

Promotion of cultural heritage — regional and traditional Polish meat products

The diverse culinary heritage of various countries in the European Union (EU) has been attracting attention for a very long time. This type of high-quality traditional food should be fully exploited and promoted as a common good that is part of the history of given countries. In order to distinguish individual products and their value (not only cultural, but also qualitative), the EU created special awarding signs (quality schemes) that conform to the quality of traditional products: Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), or Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG). One of the first associations with Polish cuisine would undoubtedly be meat dishes, which play an important role in preserving the tradition. The most popular types of meat in Poland are pork, beef, and then poultry. In addition, game animals are very popular, including wild birds (black grouse and larks). This type of dishes is prepared according to traditional recipes handed down from generation to generation. Products typical of the region obtained from local crops and animal breeding are used in their preparation. Thanks to this, traditional dishes acquire specific taste values, which cannot be recreated in other parts of the country.

Consumer protection and safeguards: proper information on the geographical origin of ingredients. The case of olive oils

Since the nineties of the previous century, qualified geographic names have been covered by a harmonised EU-wide protection system whose main feature is the recognition of exclusive rights. Such rights are generally parallel to those deriving from the registration of a brand. Accordingly, they are not solely protected by the measures provided in the rules on unfair competition but also by a EU protection system based on granting the group of traders that had sought and obtained recognition of the protected designation of origin or geographical indication a monopoly over the use of a given geographic name and the possibility to seek remedy against any unlawful use of it. In this sense, the information provided generally benefits the market as well as merchants and consumers.

Opinion of Croatian consumers on traditional Dalmatian lamb in the process of obtaining a PDO label

The protection of Dalmatian lamb ("Dalmatinska janjetina") with a protected designation of origin label (PDO) is based on the specific quality of meat of Dalmatian pramenka lamb and the traditional lamb breeding method in the geographic area that coincides with the breeding area of Dalmatian pramenka (indigenous Croatian sheep breed). Under the name of "Dalmatinska janjetina", only the meat of lambs of Dalmatian pramenka, bred exclusively in Dalmatia, can be placed on the market. In the process of obtaining a PDO label, which has recently been completed at the Croatian national level and is currently in the process at the EU level, a survey among Croatian consumers (a sample of 1,034 consumers from all over Croatia) was conducted to determine the recognition of this product on the Croatian market, as well as consumer preferences considering similar products from other Croatian regions. The research has shown that Croatian consumers recognize Dalmatian lamb as a traditional, high-quality product. Thus, almost 75 % of the respondents recognize it as a particular type of lamb of better quality than others on the Croatian market. Almost 85 % of the respondents use lamb regardless of type in their diet, but more than 58 % always on special occasions (folk festivals and family celebrations), especially if prepared in the traditional way (lamb on a spit) by which Dalmatia as a region is recognized by more than 85 % of the respondents. The market reputation and connection with the geographic production area are why Croatian consumers rather buy Dalmatian lamb over others.

GIS-Based Assessment of the Chestnut Expansion Potential: A Case-Study on the Marvão Productive Area, Portugal

Sweet chestnut is a relevant species in Europe for the production of timber and fruit, alongside environmental effects such as biodiversity of protection against soil erosion. In Portugal, chestnut is cultivated mainly for fruit production, in two areas, in the North and the South of the country, with moderate water deficit and low slope and at altitudes higher than 500 m. The current area (845 ha) of the southern so-called Marvão Protected Designation of Origin, of a fortyfold lower order of magnitude by comparison with the Northern productive area, has a significant expansion potential, given its similarity with contiguous areas in the same region. In this context, the main objective of the present work was the evaluation through geographic information analysis of that expansive potential, by comparison of physiographic profiling of the current production area with contiguous areas. A GIS-based characterization of current and potential chestnut areas in Marvão is presented. The methodology involved (i) digital profiling of the main classes/values of the geographical spatial ecological fingerprint considering topography, soil and microclimate variables in the areas currently occupied with sweet chestnut stands and (ii) the evaluation of the distribution of that environmental fingerprint in the whole Marvão productive area, for extending the cultivation to contiguous areas with a similar ecological fingerprint. An enlarged 9889 ha chestnut area was proposed, allocated for high forest stands aiming at agroforestry fruit production and coppiced stands for timber production and environmental protection, corresponding to 4590 ha and 5299 ha, respectively. Fruit production was proposed to field slopes of 0–4% and 4–8%, and altitudes between 400 m and 500 m. Presumable high-quality sites allocated to temporary dry/irrigated cultivations were also proposed for fruit production, in the same slope classes and altitudes higher than 500 m. Timber production and environmental protection were proposed for slopes within 8−12% and >12% ranges. This selection took into account the logistical feasibility facilitated in lower slopes for intensive mechanized management operations. This methodology permits a future field evaluation of site indexes, productivity, and correlations between environmental variables and stand biometry.

Creating Ethical Markets or Marketing Ethics? A Critical Exploration of Ethical Value Networks in Chilean and Peruvian Viticulture and Oenology

<p>The global integration of agriculture has increasingly exposed rural groups in Latin America, and other regions of the Global South, to external economic forces. This integration, encouraged by neoliberal ideology, has in many ways exacerbated underdevelopment and peripherality of these regions. Small-scale farmers tend to disproportionately suffer from trade inequality and a range of negative social, economic, and environmental outcomes associated with the integration of agriculture. In response, consumers in the Global North have become more concerned about how food is being produced and to what standards, particularly when production takes place in the South. In part, this has driven the rise of what this research theorises as ethical value networks and linked product labels. Diverse networks and product labels based in social justice, sustainability, quality and origin have been promoted as alternative models to globalised agriculture. It is claimed that these alternative networks assist rural groups otherwise disadvantaged by neoliberal globalisation by facilitating access to higher-value ethical niche markets, while encouraging localised ethical forms of development. This research critically explores two examples of ethical value networks in South American viticulture. It examines the use of fair trade certifications in Chilean wine and the protected designation of origin mark on pisco from Peru. This research emphasises the importance of local social, economic, and political contexts in the formation and outcomes of ethical value networks. It argues that despite the potential of the two studied networks to encourage local social and community development, entrenched socio-economic inequalities in Chile and Peru have hindered the expected positive outcomes of these ethical value networks. Moreover, this thesis argues that the studied networks have in many ways worsened local rural inequalities by supporting industrial and newer producers while excluding the most vulnerable actors in the wine and pisco sectors. Therefore, although this thesis illustrates the potential capacities of ethical value networks in fostering local development outcomes through product labelling, it also reveals the main limitations of these networks as currently implemented.</p>

Creating Ethical Markets or Marketing Ethics? A Critical Exploration of Ethical Value Networks in Chilean and Peruvian Viticulture and Oenology

<p>The global integration of agriculture has increasingly exposed rural groups in Latin America, and other regions of the Global South, to external economic forces. This integration, encouraged by neoliberal ideology, has in many ways exacerbated underdevelopment and peripherality of these regions. Small-scale farmers tend to disproportionately suffer from trade inequality and a range of negative social, economic, and environmental outcomes associated with the integration of agriculture. In response, consumers in the Global North have become more concerned about how food is being produced and to what standards, particularly when production takes place in the South. In part, this has driven the rise of what this research theorises as ethical value networks and linked product labels. Diverse networks and product labels based in social justice, sustainability, quality and origin have been promoted as alternative models to globalised agriculture. It is claimed that these alternative networks assist rural groups otherwise disadvantaged by neoliberal globalisation by facilitating access to higher-value ethical niche markets, while encouraging localised ethical forms of development. This research critically explores two examples of ethical value networks in South American viticulture. It examines the use of fair trade certifications in Chilean wine and the protected designation of origin mark on pisco from Peru. This research emphasises the importance of local social, economic, and political contexts in the formation and outcomes of ethical value networks. It argues that despite the potential of the two studied networks to encourage local social and community development, entrenched socio-economic inequalities in Chile and Peru have hindered the expected positive outcomes of these ethical value networks. Moreover, this thesis argues that the studied networks have in many ways worsened local rural inequalities by supporting industrial and newer producers while excluding the most vulnerable actors in the wine and pisco sectors. Therefore, although this thesis illustrates the potential capacities of ethical value networks in fostering local development outcomes through product labelling, it also reveals the main limitations of these networks as currently implemented.</p>

“Portugizac Mlado vino”; is the aroma of younger red wine more attractive?

“Portugizac Mlado vino” is a local red wine with Protected designation of origin and Traditional term, and it is usually consumed very soon after alcoholic fermentation as a young wine. The maturation and aging of the wine affect the aroma composition, which is generally not pronounced and specific in the case of most red wines, but, as a sensory property, it is important for the perception of quality and consumer choice. The objective of this work was to analyze the most important aroma compounds of esters and higher alcohols, with the unpleasant volatile phenols too, in “Portugizac” wines, related to aging. The 9 young wines “Portugizac”, PDO “Plešivica” were analyzed after 3 and after 15 months of bottle storage at 16 ºC. Ethyl esters of butanoic and hexanoic acid along with isoamyl acetate are considered to be the most important esters in the fruity aroma of wine, and their concentrations in all analyzed “Portugizac” young wine samples were higher than their perception thresholds. The concentration of ethyl acetate was in the range 30-123 mg/L. The concentrations of ethyl esters of octanoic and decanoic acid, as well as 2-phenyl ethyl acetate and diethyl succinate in all analyzed wines, were lower than their perception thresholds. The concentrations of higher alcohols were much higher than their perception threshold. Bottle storage significantly affected the concentrations of analyzed compounds; after 15 months, the concentrations of acetate and ethyl esters (except ethyl acetate and diethyl succinate), as well as terpene (linalool), decreased, while higher alcohols and ethyl phenols slightly increased if compared to three months. In general, the compounds responsible for the desired fresh, fruity aroma tones were altered in an undesirable manner, while, undesirable compounds of 4-ethyl-phenol and 4-ethyl-quaiacol, which were not present in young wines, were detected in aged wines. It can be concluded that the bottle aging affects the aroma profile, undesirable changes were more pronounced than positive ones and therefore the consumption of young wine “Portugizac” might be more sensory attractive.

Literature Review on the Pre-Slaughter Welfare of Italian Heavy Pigs

This work provides a narrative review of the available information on the welfare of Italian heavy pigs in the pre-slaughter phase (transport, lairage, and stunning). The meat from these pigs is used for specific PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) products, and the production rules for these specialties require higher body weight (160–170 kg) and age (in general more than 9 months) at slaughter than in most other countries. This may lead to specific behavioral and physiological needs of pigs. The present paper summarizes the main research findings and knowledge gaps for each of the pre-slaughter phases. Studies are presented according to the four principles of the Welfare Quality assessment protocol (good feeding, good housing, good health, and appropriate behavior). The results of the literature review indicate a lack of knowledge on several aspects. Most of studies were carried out in a single slaughterhouse, making it difficult to identify risk factors and confounding effects. Moreover, animal-based measures were assessed using different protocols, reducing the possibility of comparison across studies. These findings may serve as a basis for the development of specific research studies and policies aimed at enhancing the animal welfare level and the ethical attributes of this renowned production, also in accordance with consumers’ expectations.