The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has launched a national opposition procedure in relation to an application to register “Irish Grass Fed Beef” as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) today, Friday, August 14.

“Irish Grass Fed Beef” is the name given to quality Irish beef raised on a grass-based diet on pasture grazing farms in Ireland, according to the department.

A national opposition procedure must be undertaken before the applications can be submitted to the European Commission, the authority noted.

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.

On successful completion of the national opposition procedure, applications are submitted to the EU Commission for examination.

Interested parties have a period of four weeks ending at 5:45pm on Friday, September 11, 2020, to submit a reasoned statement of opposition in accordance with the regulatory requirements.

What are Geographical Indications?

Geographical Indications are a type of intellectual property right, protecting food product names which are linked to a particular territory or to a production method.

The EU’s Geographical Indications scheme is beneficial to producers as it allows for the identification and protection of names of specific agricultural products which have particular value adding characteristics linked to their place of origin.

GI recognition enables consumers to trust and distinguish quality products while also helping producers to market their products.

Applications for registration must show how the characteristics of the region – topographic, reputation, natural resources – have an impact on the characteristics of the product. Registration affords producers protection against imitation and use of the name on goods produced outside the designated area.

“Protected Geographical indication” (PGI) is a name which identifies a product: (a) originating in a specific place, region or country; (b) whose given quality, reputation or other characteristic is essentially attributable to its defined area of origin; and (c) at least one of the production steps of which take place in the defined geographical area.