GeoTraceability : New opportunities for the traceability of agricultural products

1
WalloonAgriculturalResearchCentre
Geomatics applications for
European regions in GRISI+
New opportunities for the traceability
of agricultural products
3rd GRISI Capitalisation Meeting
June 24-25, 2008 – Toulouse - France
Buffet D., Oger R.
buffet@cra.wallonie.be

2
Biometry, Data processing & Agrometeorology Unit
buffet@cra.wallonie.be 2
CRA-W Presentation
The Walloon Agricultural Research Centre (CRA-W) is a
government-funded multidisciplinary research institution affiliated with
the Agricultural Administration of Ministry of the Walloon Region
(Belgium). It employs about 520 persons including more than 120
scientists.
CRA-W expertises in the frame of GRISI+
Geographical Traceability of agricultural products
Development of the concept in two European projects
Validation in the European PETER Project
Spatial Data Infrastructures & Geo-Portals
Information systems & integrative ICT
for spatial analyses (B-CGMS, REQUACARTO, PESTEAUX…).
Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for the Belgian INSPIRE committee.
Rural development and agri-environmental schemes
Monitoring of agri-environmental measures using RS
(SAGRIWATEL, ORFEO…).

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Context
Agricultural products mean “products of the soil, of
stock farming and of fisheries and products of first-
stage processing directly related to these products”
(Article 32 of the EC treaty)
Traceability is defined as the “ability to retrace the
history, the use or the location of a given item”. when
referred to a product, it relates to its origin and the
general context of production.
In GRISI+,
traceability means the ability to retrieve
the geographical information about the origin and
the territorial identity of an agricultural product.

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Demands identified in previous
INTERREG projects
Demands from Regions for tools and services:
To promote the production of regional agricultural
products allowing an integrated form of rural development
taking into account the multi-functional nature of
agriculture, environmental constraints and social needs in
a context of widespread change in the agriculture sector
and the Regions.
To develop, preserve and valorise local particularities and
territorial identity for biodiversity conservation and rural
development.

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INTERREG projects (count.)
Demands from agro-food sectors for geographical
data, tools and services:
To promote local and traditional products and to certify
product quality and origin in order to adapt to new market
conditions and consumer demands while allowing for a
better traceability.
To better characterise, protect and valorise regional
products.
Specific chemical and physical characteristics of the
territory influence the quality and properties (e.g.
organoleptic) of food products.

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Dual-demands from Regions and agro-food
sectors for common and harmonised trans-regional
information, tools and services:
To strengthen cooperation of European regions through
the share of tools and approaches on traceability in the
agro-food sectors.
To promote cross-sectorial activities to enhance the
complementary nature of rural development and the
promotion of agricultural products in the European
regions.
To promote food quality and reinforce market
differentiation in specific value chains, and thus become a
strategic component of rural development policies.

7
Demands from consumers for transparency and
credibility:
To allow the geographical origin certification and
authentication of the products and their components.
To verify specific quality and production practices in
relation with the natural and cultural heritage in the
region.

8
Available EU tools
EU Labelling systems
In 1992, the European Union created PDO (Protected
Designation of Origin), PGI (Protected Geographical
Indication) and TSG (Traditional Speciality Guaranteed)
labels to promote and protect local food products.
They convey information in a simple manner and enable
consumers to distinguish products within a same
category.

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Limits of available EU tools
Consumers are not very well informed to their significance:
an Eurobarometer study on consumer knowledge and
perceptions of PDO products found that many consumers
do not know what they mean…
Other motivations must be reinforced such as taste, quality
and perceived food safety which is related to geographical
traceability (Gerz & Dupont 2006, GeoTraceAgri 2004).
Quality certification schemes should increase transparency
by placing specifications on the internet, making them
accessible to the press & public (EU Commission DG for
Agriculture conclusions from Food Quality certification Conference,
Feb. 2007).
Regions needs tools for the development of indicators and
base line information for the assessment of geographical
labels contribution to territorial objectives (socio-economic,
environmental, health and cultural).

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GRISI+ contributions
Exchange regional experiences to answer these respective
demands:
To promote creative partnership between traceability, food
labelling and certification origin with spatial information and
geomatics.
To strengthen cooperation of European regions through the
share of tools and approaches
Identify and facilitate the transfer of harmonised best
practices:
For the implementation of simple traceability systems and
labelling systems to characterise and protect local agricultural
products using information from Regional SDI.
To contribute to the development regional labels and
certifications by increasing the role of geographical information
in the labeling process.
To increase understanding of consumer perception of the link
between regions and products using GeoPortal and ITC.

GeoTraceability : New opportunities for the traceability of agricultural products

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