The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has published an application for a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status for Certified Irish Angus Beef.
An update published today, Friday, November 24, confirmed: “An application for a PGI was received from the Certified Irish Angus Producer Group for ‘Certified Irish Angus Beef‘. The geographical area covered by the application is the island of Ireland.”
DAFM, as the competent authority in the Republic of Ireland, and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Competent Authority for Northern Ireland, are now launching the national opposition procedures, required by the relevant EU Regulation, for the PGI application for ‘Certified Irish Angus Beef’.
A Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) is the name given to a product which must be produced or processed or prepared in the geographical area and where a specific quality reputation or other characteristics are attributable to that area.
In confirming the application, the DAFM statement outlined: “In compliance with Article 49 of the Regulation (EU) No. 1151/2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs, once an application for registration of a product has been completed and submitted to the relevant authorities, a national opposition procedure must take place.
“The procedure provides for any natural or legal person in the country where the application is made, having a legitimate interest, to lodge an opposition to the application to the relevant authority in that country.
“Any objections must be admissible. The criterion for admissible objections is specified under Article 49 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.”
PGI decision
If after assessment of any opposition received, the DAFM as the competent authority for Ireland and Defra as the competent authority for Northern Ireland, consider that the requirements are met, a favourable decision may be taken, and the applications can be lodged with the European Commission. This decision will be made public.
According to DAFM: “EU Regulation 1151/2012 seeks to enhance Europe’s quality policy for agricultural products by increasing the coherence of various quality schemes.
“It includes measures to support agricultural and processing activities as well as the farming systems associated with high-quality products, in line with EU rural development policy objectives.
“It ensures that only products genuinely originating in a particular region are allowed to be identified as such in commerce and eliminates unfair competition and misleading of consumers by non-genuine products, which may be of inferior quality.”
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue thanked the Certified Irish Angus Producer Group “for their work in bringing forward this application for a PGI for their product”.
“I am delighted that the application has progressed to this stage, and I am aware of the significant amount of work that has been undertaken to date,” he said.
The opposition procedure provides the opportunity for any natural or legal person, having a legitimate interest and established or resident in Ireland, to lodge an opposition to the applications.
“I am particularly pleased about the all-island basis of this application. It follows the all-island application for the Irish Grass-Fed Beef PGI.
“This joint application demonstrates the strong ongoing cooperation between my Department and their counterparts in Northern Ireland on agricultural matter,” Minister McConalogue said.
This application is separate to the PGI for Irish Grass Fed Beef PGI application, the registration process for which is almost complete by the European Commission.