EU & China ink deal protecting gourmet food products

China and the European Union have reached a deal that protects regional food products, known as geographical indications (GI) in both territories. The agreement covers a list of 100 Chinese delicacies in the EU, including Lapsang Souchong tea, Panjin rice, and Nanjing salted duck and 100 European regional gourmet specialities in China, including feta cheese, Parma ham, and Irish whiskey.

The deal is an expansion on a standing agreement, signed in 2012, that covers 10 products on both sides and it is expected to boost trade in high-value goods.

Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner and incoming Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan, who travelled to Beijing for the signing, said: “European Geographical Indication products are renowned across the world for their quality. Consumers are willing to pay a higher price, trusting the origin and authenticity of these products, while further rewarding farmers. This agreement shows our commitment to working closely with our global trading partners such as China. It is a win for both parties, strengthening our trading relationship, benefiting our agricultural and food sectors, and consumers on both sides."

However, the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China said in a statement that the agreement must be accompanied by changes in laws and stronger enforcement in China.

GIs are often overlooked by government agencies who often fail to protect them as they are not defined as intellectual property under Chinese law, which leads to losses for EU companies, the statement added.

In addition, many of the cheeses in the list cannot be exported to China anyway at present, it added.

The deal must still be approved by both the European Parliament and European Council and is expected to come into force before the end of next year, said the Commission in a statement.

In four years time, the deal will be expanded again to cover another 175 GI products from both sides.

Agri-food exports from the EU to China were worth €12.8-billion in the year from September 2018 to August 2019.

The agreement has angered agriculture producers in the US who say that the EU is boxing them out of their biggest growing market as its GI system gets a stronger global foothold.

In practice, it means that a cheese may only be labelled and sold as "Stilton" in China if it was made in one of the three English counties of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. Now, American blue cheese producers who wish to sell their products in China must find a different name for their goods.

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