11/02/2020 - OrigenEspaña: the association representing the Spanish PDO/PGIs in the agri-food sector is becoming a major national stakeholder, by Jesús González Vázquez, President, ORIGEN España

The “Asociación Española de Denominaciones de Origen” (ORIGEN ESPAÑA) was created in 2008 to raise awareness at the national level on the essential role played by Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indications (PGIs) in the agri-food sector. The association represents today 78% of the economic value annually generated by the Spanish agri-food PDO/PGIs, which is estimated at € 1.2 billion. Likewise, ORIGEN España has become a privileged partner for the most relevant public and private institutions in Spain.

In this respect, it has recently concluded an agreement with the Spanish Intellectual Property Office (Oficina española de patentes y marcas - OEPM) to boost the competitiveness of the Spanish quality food industry, improve the knowledge of intellectual property rights and foster their use within the PDO/PGIs sector.

Other strategic agreements were previously signed with relevant partners, with the objective to add value and promote the effective protection of Spanish PDO/PGIs, in particular:

• the agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) for the promotion of agri-food quality products;
• the one with the Association of Spanish supermarket chains (“Asociación de Cadenas Españolas de Supermercados” - ACES) to strengthen the protection of PDO/PGIs in the Spanish market;
• the protocol of collaboration with the Spanish Civil Guard to improve the investigation of illegal activities related to food production and trafficking, as well as their adulteration or falsification, to protect consumers, and to defend the legitimate interests of producers. 

Furthermore, ORIGEN España carries out information and promotion activities, which are an essential component of the association strategy to raise awareness on PDO and PGIs among Spanish consumers. In this respect, the campaign “Historias en tu mesa” , launched in 2016 in the framework of a project co-financed by the European Union, will soon be concluded. A new promotional campaign – “Habre tus ojos” (Open your eyes) – will start this year and will be focused on the European PDO/PGIs logos.