Abstract: Geographical Indications (GIs) are important tools adopted to underline that reputation, qualities and characteristics of a product are strictly linked to its geographical origin. The protection granted to GIs by the law may exert strong effects both on the firms and other stakeholders in the local production system, and also affects the environmental and social sphere of the specific geographic location. Moreover, the use made by firms of the protected GI is in some cases far away from its potentiality, and this clearly affects the effects GI protection can have on different dimensions. The GI level of use by firms depends on different factors, including the cost-benefit analysis, the general strategy pursued by firms, and the characteristics of the Product specifications. So far, academic literature has not handled this topic in a systematic perspective. The aim of our work is to show the effects of the GI protection through the analysis of two case-studies related to PDO and PGI products in Tuscany, “Fagiolo di Sorana IGP” (Sorana Bean PGI) and “Pecorino Toscano DOP” (Tuscan Sheep-milk cheese PDO). In particular, the attention has been focused on the strategic decisions that lead farmers and processing firms to decide whether and how to use the protected GI for the production and marketing of their products, and on the effects of the GI protection on firms and local agri-food production systems. The research methodology consisted in some semi-structured interviews to a number of Sorana Bean PGI producers and Tuscan Pecorino-cheese PDO dairies, representative of different firms’ typologies. In addition, the representatives of both Consortia were interviewed. First results show that firms, although not well documented and conscious about real costs and economic benefits, use of PDO-PGI to attain a wide spectrum of results that are often far away from the expected ones. Besides, the way Product Specifications (PSs) have been drawn greatly affects the effects generated by the protection. Much of the real use of PDO/PGI by firms relies on the coherence between firms’ characteristics and strategies, and Product Specifications, while the different level of use of PDO/PGI by firms do not depend in the two cases by entry-barriers linked to costs needed to implement the Product Specifications.
The effects of the legal protection Geographical indications: PDO/PGIs in Tuscany / Belletti G., Brazzini A., Marescotti A.. - ELETTRONICO. - 2:(2016), pp. 1096-1107. (Intervento presentato al convegno Farming systems facing global challenges: Capacities and strategies. Volume 2”, proceedings of the 11th European IFSA Symposium tenutosi a Berlin nel 1-4 april 2014).
The effects of the legal protection Geographical indications: PDO/PGIs in Tuscany
Belletti G.;Brazzini A.;Marescotti A.
2016
Abstract
Abstract: Geographical Indications (GIs) are important tools adopted to underline that reputation, qualities and characteristics of a product are strictly linked to its geographical origin. The protection granted to GIs by the law may exert strong effects both on the firms and other stakeholders in the local production system, and also affects the environmental and social sphere of the specific geographic location. Moreover, the use made by firms of the protected GI is in some cases far away from its potentiality, and this clearly affects the effects GI protection can have on different dimensions. The GI level of use by firms depends on different factors, including the cost-benefit analysis, the general strategy pursued by firms, and the characteristics of the Product specifications. So far, academic literature has not handled this topic in a systematic perspective. The aim of our work is to show the effects of the GI protection through the analysis of two case-studies related to PDO and PGI products in Tuscany, “Fagiolo di Sorana IGP” (Sorana Bean PGI) and “Pecorino Toscano DOP” (Tuscan Sheep-milk cheese PDO). In particular, the attention has been focused on the strategic decisions that lead farmers and processing firms to decide whether and how to use the protected GI for the production and marketing of their products, and on the effects of the GI protection on firms and local agri-food production systems. The research methodology consisted in some semi-structured interviews to a number of Sorana Bean PGI producers and Tuscan Pecorino-cheese PDO dairies, representative of different firms’ typologies. In addition, the representatives of both Consortia were interviewed. First results show that firms, although not well documented and conscious about real costs and economic benefits, use of PDO-PGI to attain a wide spectrum of results that are often far away from the expected ones. Besides, the way Product Specifications (PSs) have been drawn greatly affects the effects generated by the protection. Much of the real use of PDO/PGI by firms relies on the coherence between firms’ characteristics and strategies, and Product Specifications, while the different level of use of PDO/PGI by firms do not depend in the two cases by entry-barriers linked to costs needed to implement the Product Specifications.
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