European Association
Culture Innovation Sustainability

Consorzi di Tutela in Italy

European legislation assigns to the “Producer Groups” a fundamental role in the management (in a broad sense) of Geographical Indication products.

Regardless of the legal form they take in the different EU Member States, these groups bring together a set of economic operators involved in individual production chains who are primarily responsible for the protection and promotion of their respective GIs.

In Italy, this task is performed by the Consorzi di Tutela, bodies set up on a voluntary basis between sector operators, who can exercise their function of a public nature - on a three-year (renewable) assignment by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry by means of special recognition decrees - if they demonstrate an adequate representativeness of protected GI production (e.g. 66% for agri-food GIs) and are equipped with a by-laws compliant with ministerial requirements.

Consortia are established pursuant to Art.’Article 2602 of the Civil Code (“By the consortium contract several entrepreneurs establish a common organisation for the regulation or performance of certain stages of their respective undertakings”) and exercise their functions in accordance with the provisions of specific laws of the Italian State, starting with the’Article 14 of Law No. 526/1999 for PDO-PGI agri-food products or, in the case of wine protection consortia, by the’Art. 41 of Law No. 238/2016.

These functions consist of protection, promotion, valorisation, consumer information and general care of the interests relating to designations, as distinct from control activities that are exercised by third-party organisations authorised by the M.A.S.A.F.

With the Europe-wide reform of the Geographical Indications system introduced by the EU Regulation 2024/1143, for the first time, all agri-food, wine and spirits products with GI status are brought together for the first time in a single legislative basis, and the role of recognised producer groups (Consorzi di Tutela) is strengthened equipping them with more effective tools to foster a competitive and sustainable development of the certified quality production sector and to better respond to the new demands of consumers and society.

In addition to implementing a bureaucratic and procedural simplification to facilitate the registration of names and the amendment of specifications, the reform recognises the validity of the Italian Consorzi di Tutela model, assigning greater responsibilities and tools to the groups in the area of:

  • combating devaluing practices, with the possibility of «geo-blocking» Internet domains that misuse GIs;
  • protection of GIs used as ingredients in processed foods, obliging users to indicate on the label the percentage of GI product present in the processed product and to inform recognised groups (consortia) in writing of the use of the same GI, also prohibiting the use of other products comparable to the GI;
  • international protection, by preventing applications for the registration of traditional terms as being identical or evocative of PDO-PGI names (e.g. Croatian prosek), or the undue exploitation of the reputation of PGIs through national technical standards (e.g. Slovenian balsamic vinegar); the role of the recognised producer group in the procedure for registering the Union's PGIs in the international register under the Geneva Act is also strengthened, allowing for effective protection in all signatory countries;
  • supply management, allowing the adoption to all supply chains of supply regulation plans - with a view to favouring a balance with market demand, thus contributing to the economic sustainability of the sector and price stability - as well as their extension in time from 3 to 6 years, or the possibility of drafting value sharing clauses along the supply chain for consortia members;
  • tourism PDO, with the recognition of the role of producer groups in the promotion and management of food and wine tourism activities, with a view to developing the services in this area provided in areas linked to Geographical Indications.

Finally, from the IGA reform emerge, major innovations on the sustainability front. The European legislator accords producer groups due importance and visibility as key players in the transition of the GI system towards sustainability. This introduces the possibility of agreeing commitments between all PDO-PGI subjects, identifying a set of sustainable practices (environmental, economic, social) which the Consortia, and consequently the operators themselves, will have to take into account in carrying out their activities, and to draw up and publish a sustainability report to communicate in a clear and transparent manner the commitments made and the efforts made in this regard throughout the GI chain.

At the national level, the M.A.S.A.F. is working on the dossier of the Italian legislative framework for the implementation of the GI reform, which implies, among other things, an update of the national rules concerning producer groups, extending the activities that the Consorzi di Tutela can carry out, and preparing the rules on their recognition and management, in particular on procedures, requirements and erga omnes contributions.