EU Regionality Label: A flagship for cultural landscapes

The so-called PDO label stands for a geographical "protected designation of origin" and has been awarded by the EU since 1992 according to strict quality standards to protect and promote regional agricultural products. A research team from the Universities of Kassel and Göttingen, together with colleagues from Leipzig and Lisbon, has now mapped all 638 PDO-protected food products in the EU.

This resulted in an overview of the distribution of these products within the EU, as well as a so-called PDO score, which tells how many PDO products are registered in a particular region of Europe.

"Besides the obvious result that more than 80 % of all PDO products can be found in the eight countries bordering the Mediterranean, we were nevertheless surprised that certain hotspots of PDO production stood out so clearly," says Lukas Flinzberger, PhD student in the research group Social-Ecological Interactions in Agricultural Systems. "Along the border between Spain and Portugal, in southern France, northern Italy and the central mainland of Greece, there are individual regions where more than nine PDO-labelled products are allowed to be produced."

Links between PDO products and socio-ecological values

To make statements about the links between PDO products and socio-ecological aspects, data on 13 socio-ecological indicators were collected in the surveyed regions, including information on Natura 2000 areas, tourist accommodation sites, and the average age of the population. In addition, the differences between Mediterranean and non-Mediterranean countries, as well as between the four most frequently used product categories, were examined.

"Particularly noteworthy are the strong correlations between the frequency of PDO products and high nature value (HNV) agricultural land, as well as the diversity of different land cover types," reports Prof. Tobias Plieninger, head of the department. Furthermore, there seems to be a clear link between tourist and cultural attractiveness (including the presence of UN World Heritage Sites) and the production of PDO products. "The socio-economic indicators, in turn, show that PDO production plays a much greater economic role in the Mediterranean countries, and is explicitly linked to a positive employment situation there," adds Flinzberger. As elsewhere in Europe, a higher number of PDO products also goes hand in hand with ageing and out-migration from rural areas. "This effect is even more pronounced in the Mediterranean countries."

Based on these results, three conclusions could be drawn:

1. PDOs are often produced in regions of high ecological and cultural value, but at the same time these regions suffer from negative demographic and economic trends.
2. Because of this, the continuity of some of these traditional production methods may be at risk, because the areas in question are often at economically motivated crossroads between intensification or abandonment of use.
3. For this reason, PDOs should be used as instruments for the sustainable development of European agriculture and life in rural areas.

A pathway to sustainable food systems

PDO-labelled products must be produced (almost) entirely in the respective region and therefore have comparatively short value chains: "Traditional production methods can often be used to produce high-quality food that is profitable for local producers" says Lukas Flinzberger. "All this suggests that the practices associated with the PDO label can contribute to sustainable land use and food production."

To ensure and improve the sustainability of products, the researchers propose a review of all currently registered products ("PDO fitness check") and highlight the sustainable, extensive production systems of many animal PDO products in the sense of the "less but better meat" movement. Furthermore, it seems essential to continue the research at case-study level to give meaning to the correlations.

Full Papers:

Flinzberger, L., Zinngrebe, Y., Bugalho, M.N., Plieninger, T. (2022a). EU-wide mapping of ‘Protected Designations of Origin’ food products (PDOs) reveals correlations with social-ecological landscape values. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-022-00778-4

Flinzberger, L.; Cebrián, M. A.; Peppler-Lisbach, C & Zinngrebe, Y. (2022b). Why Geographical Indications Can Support Sustainable Development in European Agri-Food Landscapes. Front. Conserv. Sci. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2021.752377

Contact:

Lukas Flinzberger
Doktorand im Fachgebiet Sozial-Ökologische Interaktionen in Agrarsystemen
lukas.flinzberger[at]uni-goettingen[dot]de

Tobias Plieninger
Leiter des Fachgebiets Sozial-Ökologische Interaktionen in Agrarsystemen
plieninger[at]uni-kassel[dot]de

Further info on the People • Nature • Landscapes research blog:

Protected Designations of Origin (PDOs) as Flagships of Cultural Landscapes | by Lukas Flinzberger | People • Nature • Landscapes