The Consortium for Common Food Names (CCFN) applauds the inclusion of strong language in the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) bill on the need to curtail improper use of geographical indications (GI), addressing a growing threat to food and beverage producers who use common names for their products.
CCFN, an international non-profit alliance, works on behalf of food and beverage producers, associations and cooperatives globally to protect the right to use generic names and terms used on everything from cheeses and meats, to wine and specialty foods.
"The GI provision recognizes that we have a real problem of the European Union wielding the leverage of its free trade agreements to give advantage to select EU producers, and this is unacceptable," said CCFN Executive Director Jaime Castaneda. "This abuse of GI policy is harmful to U.S. exporters, as well as producers in many developing countries around the world.
"Leaders in the U.S. Congress - as well as U.S. negotiators - have been doing a tremendous service to food producers by repeatedly and plainly stating that these abuses cannot be tolerated," Castaneda added.
Addressing the improper use of GI policy is especially critical for the U.S. as it negotiates trade agreements with the EU and Pacific Rim nations. The TPA bill's GI provision states that the U.S. should seek "...to achieve fairer and more open conditions of trade in bulk, specialty crop, and value added commodities by... eliminating and preventing the under-mining of market access for United States products through improper use of a country's system for protecting or recognizing geographical indications, including failing to ensure transparency and procedural fairness and protecting generic terms."
In the past three years, the EU's aggressive new approach to GIs in trade agreements has threatened to negatively impact the use of such generic names as "parmesan", "feta" and "bologna". CCFN reports that the problem could become much worse if GI proponents adopt revisions this year that would expand an international register for their terms known as the Lisbon Agreement.
"We promote approaches that protect both legitimate GIs and generic food names," said Castaneda, "but we oppose attempts to monopolize common names that are part of the public domain."
The Consortium for Common Food Names (CCFN) is an independent, international non-profit alliance whose goal is to work with leaders in agriculture, trade and intellectual property rights to foster the adoption of high standards and model geographical indication guidelines throughout the world. Those interested in joining can find information at www.CommonFoodNames.com. 4.21.2015