1. THE QUALITY POLICY IN FRANCE

2. THE QUALITY POLICY • The Definitions • The Challenges • The Principles • The System

3. The Quality Concept … • “the totality of the characteristics of an entity that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implicit needs”  • (International Standard ISO 8402)

4. The Quality Components • Safety and Security • Health • Satisfaction • Service • Consistency

5. Identification of Quality • Generic quality • Specific quality

6. The Quality Policy meets three challenges concerning • Consumers • The growth of agriculture and agribusiness and the structural organisation of the agri-food networks • The regions and rural development

7. As the record shows, a system built onthree quality approaches

8. As the record shows, a system built on three quality approaches • Quality rooted in the terroir (the local soil and microclimate) • Quality rooted in know-how • Quality linked to a production process respecting the balance of nature

9. Quality rooted in the terroir Quality rooted in know-how Quality linked to a production process respecting the balance ofnature Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) (registered designation of origin) The Label and Certification of Conformity Organic Farming As the record shows, a system built on three quality approaches

10. Rooted in over half a century’s experience Wedded to the people and the regions In France, the Quality Policy is an approach:

11. The public authorities have rolled out a system of official quality guarantees: • Implemented by the stakeholders of the agri-food networks through voluntary policies • Controlled by independent organisations

12. 3 Basic Principles: • The Commitment of the operators and agri-food networks • Validation of the specifications by the public authorities • Control of the specificationsby independent organisations

13. The Commitment of the Operators andAgri-food Networks • Collective facilities (AOC defence syndicate, quality label group) • Ensuring the representation of the professional partners • In charge of setting up and monitoring quality and designation of origin policies • Carrying out actions for the collectivepromotion of products

14. Validation of the Specifications by the Public Authorities • For AOC: Institut national des appellations d’origine (INAO) (national institute for designation of origin) • For labels, the Product Conformity Certificates (PCC) and organic farming: Commission nationale des labels et des certifications (CNLC)(national commission for labels and certification)

15. Control of the specifications by independent organisations • INAO: approval and control of AOC production conditions • Accredited certifying organisations (Standard EN 45 011) that are approved by the public authorities for the certification of labels, PCC, and organic farming methods

16. The Involvement of the Public Authorities • Validation of specifications and of their control requirements • Product identification with logos that are State property • Information on the quality and designation of origin labels guarantees • Aid for the start-up of quality and designation of origin approaches

17. The July 9, 1999 Law on Agricultural Policy • Recognition of the label identification system for quality and designation of origin

18. 4 Official Identification Labels for Quality and Designation of Origin: • Appellation d’origine contrôlée(AOC), registered designation of origin • Label agricole (LR), agricultural label • Agriculture biologique (AB), organic farming • Certification de conformité produit(CCP), product conformity certificate (PCC)

19. Appellation d’origine contrôlée AOC - Registered Designation of Origin • Wine-growing sector affected by a dramatic slump • The first legislative measures: • Law of August 1, 1905 and of August 5, 1908 (administrative delimitation) • Law of May 6, 1919 (judicial delimitation according to local, fair and consistent practices) • The set-up of the AOC system in the wine-growing sector • Creation of the Comité national des appellations d’origine (July 30, 1935 decree-law)

20. Appellation d’origine contrôlée AOC - Registered Designation of Origin • “The geographic name of a country, region or locality for the designation of a product originating in said country, region or locality and whose quality or properties are exclusively or essentially attributable to the geographic environment, which includes natural and human factors” • (Law of July 6, 1966)

21. Changes in France • Unification of the designation of origin system: • Extension of INAO’s field of authority to include all agri-foodstuffs (Law of July 2, 1990) • Harmonisation of the requirements for access to AOC, and of the AOC recognition procedure • Equivalence between AOC and AOP (Protected Designation of Origin) (Law of January 3, 1994)

22. The Agricultural Label • Principle of the Agricultural Label recognised by the Agricultural Policy Law of August 5, 1960 • Implementation Decree of January 13, 1965: “As part of qualitative promotion, the Agricultural Labels serve to improve consumer information and facilitate trading between producers, processors and users.” • First poultry labels approved in 1965-66 (Landes and Loué) • Creation of the collective ‘Red Label’ mark in 1973

23. The Agricultural Label • “Certifies that the product possesses a distinct set of qualities and special properties that have first been defined in the specifications and that establish a premium level of quality.” (Art. L 643-2 of the Rural Code) • Assessment of Premium Quality: • According to objective and relevant criteria pertaining to product life cycle and image • Sensory profiles and hedonic tests • Technical requirements fixing the minimum criteria

24. The Agricultural Label

25. Agriculture Biologique (AB) - Organic Farming • The pioneers and different European trailblazing currents • Germany: biodynamic farming (Rudolf Steiner, Demeter, and others) • Switzerland: Dr. Muller’ organic-biological farming • England: organic farming (Albert Howard) • France: Raoul Lemaire and Jean Boucher, Nature et Progrès association

26. Agriculture Biologique (AB) - Organic Farming • First official recognition of agriculture “that does not use synthetic chemical products” in the Agricultural Policy Law of July 1980 • Public authorities’ approval of existing private specifications • A national commission for the approval of specifications is created • The collective mark AB is created

27. Agriculture Biologique (AB) - Organic Farming Recognised farming method since 1980 Certification system of an environmentally-friendly farming method respecting animal welfare

28. L’agriculture biologique (AB) Organic Farming

29. Product Conformity Certificate The most recent label (1988) It certifies that the product is compliant with special properties or with previously set rules Objective, measurable, controllable and relevant objectives listed in specifications

30. Product Conformity Certificate

31. What is the situation in the European Community?

32. Quality, the challenge for agriculture and agribusiness as of the late eighties • The first reform of the CAP (1992) • The implementation of the European Single Market (1993) The above fostered a new approach to market segmentation per identified quality products, meeting consumer expectations and enhancing agricultural products and know-how

33. The European Labels • Three basic Community Regulations • Regulation 2092/91: organic farming method • Regulation 2081/92: PDO/PGI • Regulation 2082/92: Certificate of Specific Character (CSC) or Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (TSG)

34. The European Labels • Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) • Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) • Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (TSG) (or Certificate of Specific Character)

35. The rollout of European tools protecting specific products Organic farming method • Reg. (CE) 2092/91 of the Council of June 24, 1991 on plant products • Completed on July 19, 1999 to include animal products (with possibility of national rules) • Protection of the qualifying terms ‘biological’, ‘ecological’ or ‘organic’ • Establishment of production and processing rules for organic products and for their control methods • Creation of a European logo

37. The rollout of European tools protecting specific products Protected Designation of Origin and Protected Geographic Indication (PDO/PGI) • Reg. (CE) 2081/92 of the Council of July 14, 1992 organised a registration system for geographic names of products that protects them within the EU • It distinguishes two concepts: • Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) • Protected Geographic Indication (PGI)

38. Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) covers the name of region designating a product that: • Comes from the region AND • Whose properties are mainly due to the geographic environment AND • Whose production, processing or preparation take place only in said region

40. Protected Geographic Indication is the name of a region designating a product that: • Comes from the region • Has one property that may be attributed to its regional origin • Whose production and/or processing and/or preparation take place in the region • Has a qualitative level recognised by a label or certification

42. The rollout out of European tools for protecting specific products Certificate of Specific Character • Reg. (CE) 2092/92 of the Council of July 14, 1992 on certificates of specific character helps protect names of products with a traditional character but not (or no longer) resulting from the foodstuff’s geographic origin

43. Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (or Certificate of Specific Character) is the recognition of a foodstuff: • Made from traditional raw materials • Or with traditional ingredients • Or from a traditional production method

45. Linkage between European tools and French identification labels: Law of January 3, 1994 • Only the foodstuffs with a label or a certificate of conformity may apply for PGI or CSC status • The geographic origin may be among the features on the label or on the CSC only if the foodstuff is PGI registered • Full equivalence between the PDO and AOC

46. The Bodies in Charge of the Identification Labels

47. The Bodies in charge of the Identification Labels • The Institut national des appellations d’origine (INAO) (the national institution for registered designation of origin) • The Commission nationale des labels et des certifications de produits agricoles et alimentaires (CNLC) (the national commission for agri-foodstuff labels and certification)

48. The Institut national des appellations d’origine:An administrative public body under the authority of the French Ministry in charge of Agriculture. It includes: • Deliberative bodies: the National Committees and the Permanent Council (with professionals, qualified experts and representatives of the administration) • Administrative and technical departments working out of the Paris head office and the local branches

49. The National Committees • National Committee for Wines and Spirits (AOC) • National Committee for Dairy Products (AOC) • National Committee for agri-foodstuffs (AOC for products other than wine and dairy products) • National Committee for Protected Geographic Indications

50. C. N. L. C. • PERMANENT COMMISSION • PRODUCT REFERENTIAL REVIEW SECTION • CERTIFYING ORGANISATION APPROVAL SECTION • ORGANIC FARMING SECTION