Eurosemillas, the Spanish company that exploits the rights of the popular late Tango mandarin in most of the planet, except for in the US, recently received confirmation of the protection granted by the Agriculture Forestry & Fisheries Department of South Africa to this citric.
The recognition of registration of this variety by the authorities of this country is particularly relevant, not only because it takes place in the second largest exporter of fresh citrus in the world after Spain, but also because it took place after a DUS analysis, which is the method established by the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties (UPOV) to ensure that a variety is technically different from all others, uniform, and stable.
The tests conducted by South African scientists for four years (2012-2016) basically ratify the same varietal description that had first been determined by the University of Riverside California, which obtained the mandarine and patented it in the US. , as well as the IVIA (Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research). It is a lateseedlessmandarin that has sterile pollen so it won't impregnate the fruits of neighboring plantations, even in cross-pollination.
The Tango mandarin, (which is registered in Spain as Tang Gold) thus becomes one of the most widely protected citrus in history. The breeder, and therefore its licensees, own the rights in more than 10 countries (the US, Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Uruguay, Peru, Israel, Ecuador, Spain, and now South Africa). The process in other producing and exporting powers (Egypt, Morocco, China, Brazil, Turkey, and Paraguay), is already in a very advanced stage. Moreover, recently this mandarin was protected by Spain and the EU community but the latter was suspended as a precautionary measure after an appeal by Nadorcott Protection SARL, that has the rights in the EU of the late Nadorcott on behalf of Les Domaines Agricoles (the Royal house of Morocco).
For practical purposes, such suspension has no major implications because the Spanish protection still applies. In fact, the Nadorcott variety was also affected by a similar situation when the Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives of Valencia opposed its protection in 2004 and the Board of Appeal of the Community Plant Variety Office suspended it provisionally until this mandarin of Moroccan origin was finally registered a few months after.
The claim presented in Australia by the Variety Access Pty. Ltd. company, also on behalf of Les Domaines Agricoles, against the registration process of the Tango in that country should also be understood in this context. As in the Spanish and South African case, the Australian authorities have just rejected the arguments to paralyze its registration process. In fact, none of the administrative or judicial actions filed by the representatives of Nadorcott to slow or stop the marketing of Tango have been successful.
More information:
Rafael Quilis
Tel.: +34 661 20 86 96+34 661 20 86 96