PDO as a Mechanism for Reterritorialisation and Agri-Food Governance: A Comparative Analysis of Cheese Products in the UK and Switzerland

Abstract

Abstract:The protection of geographical indications (European regulation 1151/2012) is arguably the most significant initiative, certainly within Europe, that promotes foods with territorial associations and reorganises agri-food chain governance through a strategy of reterritorialisation. Research on Protected Designation of Origins (PDOs) and Protected Geographical Indications (PGIs) suggests that they generate significant economic value at an EU-level, especially in certain countries. They can also help to deliver territorial rural development policy and develop new food markets. In this paper we examine the way the PDO scheme has been developed and applied in one commodity sector (cheese) in two countries (Switzerland and the UK), where the uptake of PDOs is variable. We adopt a food chain approach and examine specific cheese product case studies (at micro and meso levels) in both countries to better understand how the PDO scheme (as a territorialisation and respacing strategy) is implemented. L'Etivaz and Le Gruyère are examined in Switzerland. Single Gloucester and West Country cheddar are examined in the UK. The PDO scheme is an important governance strategy and regulatory system, but despite strict guidelines regarding implementation and geographical infrastructure there are notable differences between the UK and Switzerland in terms of how the label is used to organise and respatialise food chains: it is framed as a strategy to protect the rural economy in Switzerland but is promoted more as a mechanism to communicate and reconnect with consumers in the UK.

Alternative Approaches of Summer Milk Sales from Transhumant Sheep and Goat Farms: A Case Study from Northern Greece

“…This point referred to the degree to which the physical properties of milk as well as the positive effects of the ES provided by transhumance were reflected in the final product. Therefore, this point was not restricted to common food quality features such as healthiness, composition, taste, smell, etc., [41,65] but also to broader quality perceptions of consumers regarding culture, use of resources and the territory ('terroir') of production [48], thus highlighting their 'embeddedness' to transhumance and respective territories. As already explained, the high quality summer milk of transhumant flocks is the result of grazing in High Nature Value land [10] and is linked to a rich socio-historic background [15,78,79].…”

“…The role of such certifications has been described in the broader sense of connecting the area to the premium characteristics of the product-stimulating rural development and benefits for local populations-and is thus connected to 'some aspect of reterritorialization', linking products only to a lesser degree to the production practices [48]. They also add the dimension of 'natural capital' to transhumance products, in the sense that they pinpoint a connection between the product and local vegetation and other environmental characteristics.…”

Comparing the sustainability of local and global food products in Europe

“…The cheese case studies cover four value chains, two in the UK (cheddar and farmhouse PDO cheeses) and two in Switzerland (Le Gruyère PDO and L'Etivaz PDO). They all follow a value chain starting with a dairy farmer (who also process the cheese in local cheese cases), followed by a primary and secondary processing phase (maturing), and by multiple sales channels (further details in Maye et al (2016)). Data collection for the sustainability assessment, covering eight attributes (table 2), was conducted through interviews with actors at each stage of the value chain, including input provision, and consumption through consumer focus groups.…”

“…This strategy is often triggered by local actors in order to preserve or defend their product, in our cases through the adoption of PDOs. In the process, producers or processors have to re-think their governance and production in relation to place (Maye et al, 2016) and have created "a more collaborative, territory-based governance" that builds resilience (Oostindie et al, 2016, p. 12).…”

Traditional Cheese Production and an EU Labeling Scheme: The Alpine Cheese Producers’ Opinion

“…Numerous authors have reported that there is an opportunity for PDO producers to obtain a premium price [9,10], develop depressed rural areas [11,12], raise tourist interest [13] and transform the agro-food sector into the second most important productive activity in Italy [14]. Moreover, these tools preserve the territorial biodiversity, traditional production systems and cultural practices tied to local history and culture [15], so as to protect the rural economy and communicate and reconnect with consumers [16,17]. However, the GIs also evidenced some negative elements involved in the slight differences between PDOs and PGIs in some cases [18], including the limited diffusion of the term traditional specialties guaranteed (TSG) [19], mainly due to its weak tie with the territory [20,21]; the The last paragraph presents the conclusions and limitations of the study.…”