Agricultura orgánica: ¿Tecnología artesanal? Revisión del panorama de patentamiento
| Autor | Luis Gil Abinader |
| Cargo | Abogado, investigador júnior del Programa de Derecho y Bienes Públicos y asistente de la Cátedra OMC en la FLACSO/Argentina |
| Páginas | 79-96 |
Organic Agriculture: Giving
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of the patent landscape
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del panorama de patentamiento.
LUIS GIL ABINA DER1
Received: 27/09/ 2013 Modif icado: 21/04/2014 Acepted: 28/ 04/2014
1 Abogado, investigador júnior del P rograma de D erecho y Bie nes Públicos y asistente de la Cátedr a OMC en l a
FLACSO /Argentina. Corr eo electrónic o: lgi l@flacso.org.a r
AD-minister Medellín-Colombia No. 24 enero-junio 2014 pp. 79 - 96 ISSN 1692-0279 e-ISSN: 2256-4322
Abstract
This research overview the patent landscape of the inputs approved for certified organic
agriculture. For this, it explains the tensions in regards to private voluntary standards ad-
dressed in certain trade-related forums. A succinct characterization of the economic impact
of plant diseases outbreaks in the Dominican Republic -an organic produce exporting cou-
ntries- follows. It then briefly compares the “public” norms controlling the production and
labeling of organic agriculture, with their “private” counterparts. Subsequently, the result
of the patent searchers, which were performed taking into account the private voluntary
certifiers’ list of validated inputs, is reported. When the data is analyzed quantitatively, the
finding suggests that there is no high intellectual property costs required to comply with
the examined private voluntary standards. However, a small number of validated fungici-
des –which are also widely used by organic farmers in the Dominican Republic- may have
significant intellectual property access barriers.
Key words:
Private standards; patent landscape; fungicides; organic agriculture; certifications; WTO.
80
LUIS GIL ABI NADER |
Organic Agr iculture: Giving Low-Tech a Chance? A n overview of the patent landscape
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Resumen:
Esta investigación explora el panorama de patentamiento de los insumos aprobados para
la agricultura orgánica certificada. Para esto, explica las tensiones en relación con los es -
tándares privados dilucidadas en ciertos foros comerciales. Le sigue una sucinta caracteri-
zación del impacto económico de los brotes de plagas en la República Dominicana –un ex-
portador de productos orgánicos-. Luego, se comparan brevemente las normas “públicas”
que controlan la producción y el etiquetado de la agricultura orgánica, con sus contrapartes
“privadas”. Subsecuentemente, se reporta el resultado de las búsquedas de patentes, que
fueron realizadas con base en la lista de insumos validados por las certificadoras privadas.
Analizando los datos cuantitativamente, la evidencia arroja que no hay altos costos de
propiedad intelectual para cumplir con estos estándares. No obstante, un reducido número
de fungicidas validados ampliamente usados por los agricultores orgánicos en República
Dominicana- pueden tener importantes barreras de acceso de propiedad intelectual.
Palabras clave:
Estándares privados; panorama de patentamiento; fungicidas; agricultura orgánica; certifi-
caciones; OMC.
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Introduction: private voluntary standards
Private voluntary standards are a controversial issue in the World Trade Organization (WTO).
After being raised by Saint Vincent and the Grenadines during a meeting held in June 2005,
they have been periodically addressed at the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary
Measures. The concern shared by several developing countries, including Argentina, Belize,
Ecuador, Egypt, and Peru, is that requirements such as the “Good Agricultural Practices”
certified by GlobalGAP are a de facto entry condition in certain markets. And, to obtain
these certifications, exporters must comply with the requirements set by private certifiers.
These are, for instance, the use of certain storage facilities or off-farm inputs. Some WTO
Members believe that those requirements are unnecessarily restrictive and scientifically un-
justified. Therefore, those Members consider these standards incompatible with the WTO
Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPSM).
Other Members, however, have argued that they have limited power to address the-
se standards. Particularly the European Union (EU), where private standards are widely
required by importers and retailers. These Members claim that private standards are not
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