During the 2024-25 season, the Orri Running Committee (ORC) has eliminated 10,285 illegal ORRi mandarin plants located on farms in Valencia, Castellón, Murcia, and Seville. In parallel, ORC has initiated new legal actions against more than 5,000 unauthorized plants in the towns of Moncofa, Loriguilla, Bollullos de la Mitación, and Murcia.
ORC is firmly committed to the legal protection and rigorous control of the ORRi mandarin, one of the few varieties on the market that has been subject to a limited and regulated licensing system since its inception.
ORC relies on a pioneering control system in the agri-food sector to monitor and defend industrial property rights. It combines state-of-the-art technological tools, including the OrriApp application, developed internally and capable of identifying, in the field and in real time, suspicious plots and obtaining high-resolution satellite images, and drones equipped with multispectral cameras that allow the aerial detection of illegal plantations.
"This technology has allowed us to identify practically all the farms that have unauthorized ORRI plantations in Spain and Portugal. It's an example of how innovation can be used to guarantee a legal, fair, and sustainable agricultural model," stated Guillermo Soler, ORRi's manager.
In addition, The Enforcement Organization, S.L. (TEO), master licensee for the variety in Spain and Portugal, has exclusive molecular markers developed together with leading research centres that allow differentiating the ORRi variety from the other varieties on the market.
ORRi management model
Last season, more than 1,000 controls were carried out in points of sale in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao, and Zaragoza. In most cases, the incidents detected were minor and related to errors in signage, with no implications for compulsory labelling.
"Other management companies don't limit the production of their varieties and have promoted their expansion in third countries such as Morocco, Turkey, and Egypt, where food safety and sustainability standards are far below those required of Spanish producers," he stated.
"In contrast, Orri is a protected variety, with limited production and serious and reliable management," he stressed. "We are firmly committed to our farmers, and we defend their interests so that they get a fair return. We fight against plant piracy and unfair competition, which harms the entire value chain and discourages investment in new and better varieties for the future."
In recent years, TEO has initiated a total of 150 legal actions against producers that had more than 98,000 trees planted without authorization.
For more information:
Orri Running Committee
www.orcspain.es