An important component of regional development

A public body under the supervision of the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, INAO ensures the recognition and protection of official quality and origin signs (SIQO): appellation d'origine contrôlée/protégée (AOC/AOP), indication géographique protégée (IGP), spécialité traditionnelle garantie (STG), agriculture biologique (AB) and Label Rouge.

One of the strong points of geographical indications (GIs: AOC/AOP and IGP) is the definition of a geographical area in which the stages of production, transformation and elaboration are carried out, either in their entirety for AOPs, or for at least one of them for IGPs. For most AOC/AOP wines, there is also a delimited parcel area in which the grapes are grown.

The INAO is responsible for delimiting and protecting these natural, agricultural and forest areas, as well as their production potential. 32,000 French communes fall within one or more of these geographical areas. In France, 1.5 million ha are delimited for GI production.

Many local decision-makers are not always aware that the territory they administer falls within the geographical area of a SIQO product, and may underestimate the stakes involved in protecting them. Yet, because of their reputation and the quality of the products that benefit from them, GIs are an important component of local development, and contribute to the heritage and economic value of the territory.

Stakes at the heart of current events

According to data published by the Observatoire de l'artificialisation des sols, at least 26,000 hectares of agricultural, natural or forest areas disappear every year, equivalent to half the average surface area of a département over the last decade. At a time when priority is given to local food resources, the development of quality agriculture and productive, living rural territories is essential.

The challenges of protecting territories under SIQO are correlated with those of the ecological transition. Indeed, preserving agricultural areas contributes to slowing down the artificialization of land; it is fully in line with the 2018 biodiversity plan and the ZAN law, whose objective is to achieve "zero net artificialization" of land by 2050. It is also a way of avoiding conflicts of use caused by the extension of urbanized areas close to agricultural zones, and improving local quality of life.

SIQO represent a potential for the development of territories. They improve the quality of agricultural production, boost producers' incomes and help maintain a local activity that is specific to the region and its identity, and which cannot be relocated. They bring positive externalities, such as the preservation of the traditional image of landscapes associated with SIQO products, an undeniable tourist argument.

An intervention based on education and consultation

Regulations stipulate that the INAO must be asked for an advisory opinion within the framework of urban planning documents (SCoT, PLU communal or intercommunal, carte communale) involving the consumption of space classified as AOC/AOP. This process takes place prior to public inquiries. INAO's expertise thus provides invaluable elements for decision-making.

A strong collaboration, carried out well upstream of projects, enables the emergence of developments adapted to the territory's development challenges, the preservation of local heritage and the perpetuation of SIQO agricultural activity.

The INAO also participates, with a deliberative vote, in departmental commissions for the preservation of natural, agricultural and forest areas (CDPENAF), whenever a reduction in SIQO production potential is envisaged, as well as in land development commissions (at departmental and communal levels).