Breeder launches its biggest-ever enforcement programme
With the Northern Hemisphere table grape harvest moving towards its peak months, Bloom Fresh has announced that it wishes to send out a clear signal to all infringers of its IP that it will be closely monitoring and acting against any infringement this season.
Formed by the merger of IFG and SNFL, Bloom Fresh owns and manages the genetics from both breeding programmes and holds rights over many top varieties such as IFG Ten (marketed as Sweet Globe), IFG Seven (Cotton Candy), IFG Six (Sweet Sapphire), Sheegene 20 (Allison) and Sheegene 2 (Timpson).
“Innovation is the backbone of this industry, but it can only thrive if we protect it,” said CEO Josep Estiarte. “We will not hesitate to take action against unauthorised growers and traders infringing our IP rights. This is about protecting our authorised growers who invest to bring high-quality fruit to market and about safeguarding consistent quality for consumers worldwide.”
The company warned that unauthorised fruit not only undermines legitimate growers and disrupts market stability but also risks serious quality issues.
“Fruit grown by our authorised growers benefits from our input and support at every stage of production, ensuring it meets the highest quality standards,” said quality and innovation director Paul Farmer. “When retailers and consumers buy authorised Bloom Fresh varieties, they can be confident in what they are getting. Unauthorised production puts this consistency at risk and can damage consumer trust in premium table grapes.”
Bloom Fresh has a dedicated enforcement team who actively monitor and investigate global supply chains for infringements, attacking infringers from all angles and channels, including through customs, courts, administrative actions and criminal and police operations and raids.
“Last season we secured a number of landmark wins including the removal of hundreds of hectares of infringing vines in Peru and Brazil, our biggest ever IP victory in China and some important successes over serial offenders in Italy, resulting in removal of the vines and compensation payments from the infringers,” said chief legal officer Alanna Rennie.
“Taking our enforcement a step further, we will soon be launching our customs enforcement program in Europe, where we will be working with the border authorities to identify and seize infringing material at the European borders.
“We also work collaboratively with the Breeders Alliance, an alliance of table grape breeders around the world, with whom we share intel on infringements and pool resources to identify and target big infringers. One of our recent projects through the Breeders’ Alliance has been setting up a DNA lab in Egypt where we can rapidly test and identify infringements and cooperating with local authorities to identify and prevent this material from leaving the country. We launched the lab this year and are already seeing results with Egypt’s Central Administration of Plant Quarantine having already suspended the export codes for companies found with material infringing Breeders’ Alliance members’ rights.”
As part of this intensified push, Bloom Fresh is calling on all industry stakeholders – including growers, marketers, importers, exporters, and retailers – to support its efforts by reporting any suspicious or unauthorised fruit in the market.
“This is our biggest monitoring and enforcement effort to date, and we need the industry’s help to make it effective,” Estiarte said. “If you see suspicious fruit or poor-quality product that you believe may be unauthorised or that does not meet the Bloom Fresh minimum quality standards, please report it. By working together, we can protect the future of premium table grapes for growers and consumers worldwide.”
Reports of suspected infringement or quality concerns can be sent to: quality@bloomfreshglobal.com
