gfa ICOP 2008

Over 100 delegates from 17 countries took part in January's International Congress of Producer Organisations, which took place in Vienna

This year's International Workshop of Producer Organisations (IWOP) will take place at the Hôtel Cloître in Avignon, France on 27-28 November.

The theme of this year's conference event, which is organised by the Austrian consultancy gfa in partnership with BRM-CEAFL, France's largest federation of fruit and vegetable producer organisations, will be 'Work on your success!'

Particular focus will be place on new national strategies being developed for producer organisations ahead of the introduction of EC Regulation 1182/2007, which comes into effect this year. Discussions will concentrate on the potential impact of the legislation and how POs might go about implementing the changes.

Cross-border cooperation will also be a major theme at this year's workshop. The organisers have invited Italian marketing body CSO and Spain's Catalonia Qualitat to deliver presentations and to take part in discussions on this subject.

'Above all, the event should offer a platform for the exchange of experiences and to support communication among stakeholders in the fruit and vegetable sector,' commented a spokesperson for gfa.

According gfa, the need to hold a workshop of this kind was made clear at ICOP 2008, the International Congress of Producer Organisations which gfa organised for the third time in January.

'Following talks with participants, the idea was born to organise smaller events in various countries with a local partner,' the spokesperson added. 'gfa has realised the idea by organising the first IWOP with BRM in France, and further events of this kind in other parts of Europe are planned.'

Jean-Louis Gallin-Martell from BRM and Wolfgang Braunstein, CEO of gfa, say they see IWOP as a chance to strengthen their relationship and to help strengthen contacts among the POs of Europe.

“By means of this producer organisation workshop we want to deliver information on red-hot subjects relating to the fruit and vegetable market and to contribute to the success of POs in Europe,” commented Mr Braunstein.


Registration and further information:
gfa – Gesellschaft fu¨r Absatzförderung GmbH
Mag. Kerstin Ulz
Tel.: 0043 (3112) 50 309-12
Email: kerstin.ulz@gfa.co.at
www.gfa.co.at/iwop

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