Rosselkhoznadzor Partners with Vologda Region to Safeguard ‘Vologda Butter’ Trademark

‘Vologodskoye Maslo’ (‘Vologda butter’) has become the first brand to be protected by the Rosselkhoznadzor’s identification system. The landmark agreement was signed by Sergei Dankvert, Head of Rosselkhoznadzor, and Georgy Filimonov, the acting Governor of the Vologda region, on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

“I’m pleased to lead the way alongside the Vologda region. We have brands with protected geographical indications in other regions. Adygea, however, has chosen the route of litigation – a situation that could have been more effectively resolved through collaboration with us. The Mercury system’s capacities offer access to vast amounts of data, which may not only be utilized by Rosselkhoznadzor but also by other agencies, such as the Federal Treasury, to oversee payments for government procurement contracts for the supply of products to social institutions. The information at our disposal enables us to halt the circulation of counterfeit goods,” stated Sergei Dankvert.

“We are grateful to Rosselkhoznadzor for their support, which allows us to offer our consumers to refer to our ‘bird’ emblem, a symbol of the Vologda region, prominently displayed on our packaging: ‘Vologda region: The Soul of the Russian North.’ This emblem guarantees that the butter is a high-quality, natural product from Vologda, having undergone and passed the authorization process without being blocked by the Mercury system,” stated Georgy Filimonov.

‘Vologodskoye maslo’ is a registered and protected geographical indication (PGI) product within Russia. Only manufacturers operating in the Vologda region and utilizing high-quality dairy raw materials produced exclusively in this area are permitted to market butter under this brand. Besides that, manufacturers hold a certificate for the ‘Vologodskoye maslo’ issued by Rospatent (the Russian Federal Service for Intellectual Property).

Rosselkhoznadzor will implement an automated ban on the issuance of veterinary accompanying documents (VAD) within the VetIS Mercury identification system. This measure will affect manufacturers operating outside the Vologda region, as well as those within the region who lack valid certificates from Rospatent. Consequently, only certified manufacturers officially based in the Vologda region will be granted access to register the pertinent VAD.

Future protection measures against counterfeit products may be strengthened by identifying imitations with similar brand names. ‘Violators commonly label their butter with various forms of ‘Vologda’ and ‘Vologodskoye’ names. This provides grounds for the integration of additional filters into the Mercury system,” Rosselkhkoznadzor told Agroexpert.

Currently, the exclusive right to market products under the ‘Vologodskoye maslo’ trademark is held by the following seven enterprises:

— AO ‘Dairy Research and Training Facility’ of Vologda State Dairy Farming Academy (VSDFA), named after N.V. Vereshchagin;

— PC ‘Vologda Dairy Plant’;

— OAO ‘Severnoye Moloko’ (‘Northern Milk’);

— OOO Sukhonsky Dairy Plant;

— OOO ‘Totemsky Creamery’;

— OOO ‘Cherepovets Dairy Plant’;

— OAO Belokrestsky Creamery;

In 2023, production of ‘Vologodskoye Maslo’ reached 1,300 tons, accounting for 13.5% of the region’s total butter output.