EN Official Journal of the European Union C 276/9

Publication of an application pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

2013/C 276/06

This publication confers the right to object to the application in accordance with Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1).

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs (2)

‘ACEITE DE LA COMUNITAT VALENCIANA’

EC No: ES-PDO-0005-0720-23.09.2008

PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1. Name

‘Aceite de la Comunitat Valenciana’

2. Member State or Third Country

Spain

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.5. Oils and fats (butter, margarine, oil, etc.)

3.2. Description of product to which the name in point 1 applies

Extra virgin olive oil obtained from olives (Olea europea L.), exclusively of the following varieties native to the Autonomous Community of Valencia: Farga, Serrana, Morrudas, Villalonga and Blanqueta. The percentage of each of them is as follows: Serrana: 20-40 %; Villalonga: 20-40 %; Farga: 10-25 %; Blanqueta: 10-25 % and Morrudas: 5-10 %.

The oil protected under the protected designation of origin ‘Aceite de la Comunitat Valenciana’ is extra virgin olive oil fulfilling the following characteristics:

Extra virgin olive oil:

— acidity: < 0,5°,

— peroxide value: < 15 meq O2/kg,

— K270: < 0,15,

— K232: < 2,50,

— waxes: ≤ 250,

— delta K: ≤ 0,01,

— oleic acid content between 70 % and 82 % of the total fatty acid content,

— linoleic acid content greater than 8 % of the total fatty acid content,

— palmitic acid content between 9,5 % and 12 % of the total fatty acid content,

— linoleic acid content less than 1 % of the total fatty acid content,

— palmitic acid content between 0,6 % and 2,5 % of the total fatty acid content,

— arachidic acid content less than 0,6 % of the total fatty acid content,

— lignoceric acid content less than 0,2 % of the total fatty acid content,

— median of defects: = 0,

— median for fruity is > 3 and < 6,

— median for pungent is > 1 and < 3,

— median for bitter is > 1 and < 3,

— The relationship between the median for fruity and the median for bitter and pungent is to be such as to characterise the oil as balanced.

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only)

Description of the olive varieties:

SERRANA

The ripe fruit is ovoid in shape and is purplish black in colour with lenticels. Production of the variety is average and rustic, it is resistant to drought and frost, but vulnerable to olive fly and leaf spot.

It matures early and has a good fat yield and is primarily grown in the district of Alto Palancia, in the nature reserves of the Calderona and Espadán Sierras and the surrounding area, although there is some growing of it in neighbouring districts.

FARGA

Farga is a very old variety originating in the north of the province of Castellón. It is average to small in size and elongated and asymmetrical in shape.

It is early ripening and is moderately productive if irregular in yield. Its fat yield is considerable and it is grown throughout the districts of Maestrazgo, the north of the province of Castellón and also — although less so — in the bordering districts of La Plana Alta and Alcalatén.

BLANQUETA

This variety originates in Muro de Alcoy. The fruit is spherical and, when ripe, becomes wine red to black in colour.

It is harvested early and the fat yield is average.

VILLALONGA

The variety originates in the south of the province of Valencia. The fruit itself is spherical and large although it has a fat yield. When ripe, the olive is black.

It is sensitive to frost and drought and may be found almost throughout the province of Valencia, in most of the province of Alicante and scattered across that of Castellón.

MORRUDA

The fruit is medium-sized and is purplish black in colour and slightly asymmetrical in shape. Its fat yield is average.

It is a hardy variety with low yields which is found evenly distributed throughout the Autonomous Community of Valencia. This variety has no great presence overall but it is important in certain localities.

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only)

—

3.5. Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area

The olives are grown and the finished product is prepared in the geographical area defined in point 4.

3.6. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.

Packaging of ‘Aceite de la Comunitat Valenciana’ may be carried out by any undertaking, without any geographical restriction.

Packing must be in containers which ensure proper preservation of the product and may be made of food-use grade PET, glass, lined metal or ceramic. Preference will be given to the packaging that best protects the product from exposure to light, heat, etc.

The maximum volume of the packaging is to be 5 l, allowing for packaging of 100 cc, 250 cc, 500 cc, 750 cc, 1 l, 2 l, 2,5 l, 3 l and 5 l.

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling

The wording or labels identifying the oil described in this specification must include the terms ‘Denominación de Origen Protegida’ and ‘Aceite de la Comunitat Valenciana’.

The product will also carry a conformity mark or secondary label, to be affixed by the packing plant in such a way that it cannot be reused, enabling traceability of the product. Such secondary labels must bear the words ‘Denominación de Origen Protegida Aceite de la Comunitat Valenciana’ and its logo.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The area of production of the olives used for manufacturing ‘Aceite de la Comunitat Valenciana’ consists of the municipalities of 65 population centres of the Autonomous Community of Valencia. They are: Albocàsser, Tirig, La Salzadella, Sant Mateu, Les Coves de Vinromà, Figueroles, Les Useres, San Juan de Moró, Serra Engarzeran, Torre Endomenech, Vall d’Alba, Vilafamés, Ayódar, Fanzara, Almedijar, Altura, Azuébar, Chóvar, Geldo, Navajas, Segorbe, Soneja, Castellnovo, Teresa, Vall d’Almonacid, Viver, Alcudia de Veo, Alfondeguilla, Artana, Tales, Gátova, Casinos, Alcublas, Gestalgar, Sot de Chera, Villar del Arzobispo, Requena, Utiel, Venta del Moro, Ayora, Cortes de Pallas, Anna, Bicorp, Bolbaite, Chella, Enguera, Millares, Navarrés, Font de la Figuera, Moixent, Vallada, Albaida, Beniatjar, Ontinyent, Alfafara, Alqueria d'Aznar, Cocentaina, Millena, Muro d'Alcoi, Alcoi, Biar, Cañada de Biar, Sax, Villena, Banyeres de Mariola and Onil.

5. Link with the geographical area

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area

Natural factors

The area has a typical Mediterranean climate, characterised by mild winters, low rainfall, mostly in autumn and spring, and very dry summers. The influence of the Mediterranean, the Iberian landmass and Atlantic weather patterns give the geographical area an even climate. In particular, climatic factors are particularly uniform during the key growing periods, i.e. during flowering, in the final stages of the filling out of the olive and when oil is produced in the fruit. In this respect:

— average annual temperatures in the olive area of production are between 12 °C and 16 °C, with significant variations between the winter (average between 6 °C and 10 °C) and summer (when the average is higher at between 22 °C and 26 °C). These temperatures promote the phenologic development of the olives,

— average rainfall is between 500 mm and 600 mm per year, with some fluctuations which vary from 200 mm to 300 mm per year, at least in some particularly dry years, up to 700-800 mm.

The ground is mostly chalk although there are certain enclaves of sand, marl and gypsum. In general, the lower strata are mainly Mesozoic rock consisting essentially of Cretaceous and Jurassic limestone (with some marlstone and sandstone). The growing area consists of more recent sedimentary material consisting essentially of tertiary and quaternary materials from Mediterranean Terra Rossa, whose texture and structure is good, well drained and particularly suitable for olive cultivation.

The relief of the geographical area comprises mountainous areas and valleys which bound the Iberian and Baetic ranges as they drop eastwards towards the coast. Olive growing has been restricted at 300 m to 600 m above sea level as a result of the progression from the coast westwards of intensive fruit farming, particularly of citrus fruit under irrigation, which has resulted in a very uniform distribution of environmental and ecological conditions in the olive-growing parts of the defined geographical area. Olives, together with almonds and carob, dominate the agricultural landscape of the eastern Iberian Peninsula, which is referred to as the ‘arbolado de secano’.

Human factors

The presence of olive groves in the Comunitat Valenciana dates back to Roman times, more than 2 000 years ago. There is evidence of olive-growing in the districts of Maestrazgo de Castellón in areas lining the Via Augusta which linked Rome to Cadiz. Even today there are numerous trees over 1 000 years in age, which may be visited thanks to initiatives by cooperatives based in Maestrazgo, which offer a number of tourist routes around the ‘thousand-year-old olive oil industry’.

It is also worth noting the contributions made by Cavanilles, the botanist, in his work Observaciones sobre la Historia Natural, Geografía, Agricultura, población y frutos del Reino de Valencia (Notes on the Natural History, Geography, Agriculture, People and Products of the Kingdom of Valencia) (1795-1797). The notes on agriculture and, specifically, on the growing of olives and the production of olive oil are very interesting and cover the whole production area of the Autonomous Community of Valencia. There is frequent mention of ‘olive oil’ and olive growing.

Olive growing as an economic activity is deeply rooted in all the production districts mainly as a result of the permanent nature of its cultivation. An agro-industrial and economic system has grown around it that has enabled social and economic progress to be made in rural areas while at the same time making it possible to continue to grow an environmentally sustainable crop in areas where the weather and soil conditions would not support any other production.

The distribution of parcels within the defined geographical area is peculiar to the region: very small-scale plantations, parcels with steep slopes with limited access, terraces bordered with dry stone walls, soils with high risk of desertification and forest fires, relatively poor land with low levels of organic matter and low water retention capacity, all of which makes the olive-growing areas of the defined geographical area an essential ecological key to the ecosystem.

As a result, the land management of the defined geographical area is a family-based economy operating in smallholdings in arid zones where production of olive oil is through a system of cooperatives, and levels of internal consumption are high. The farmer's skill in handling the crop is handed down from one generation to the next.

A study of the climatic, soil, environmental and social conditions of the geographical area, together with the phenologic development of the olive grown there, shows that the defined geographical area provides uniform conditions for the growing of olives. The study concludes that the ecology of olive plantation is uniform throughout the defined geographical area.

5.2. Specificity of the product

The specificity of ‘Aceite de la Comunitat Valenciana’ is mainly due to its varietal composition. The Farga, Serrana, Morrudas, Villalonga and Blanqueta varieties are native to the defined geographical area. They produce an oil with characteristics that make it unique, both in terms of the fatty acid composition and its organoleptic qualities.

Thus, the oil produced in the defined geographical area is very balanced in its fatty acids, with relatively high levels of oleic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid. As a result, ‘Aceite de la Comunitat Valenciana’ has a high ratio of saturated to non-saturated fatty acids.

From an organoleptic point of view, this oil is among those of the greatest range and variety of aromas. The level of fruitiness is greater than 5, containing aromas of green olives, almond, green leaf, citrus, banana and grass. Levels of pungency and bitterness are of between 1 and 3. Accordingly, the relationship between the level of ‘fruity’ and the levels of ‘bitter’ and ‘pungent’ result in a balanced oil.

5.3. Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI)

The main factors which give the ‘Aceite de la Comunitat Valenciana’ its unique characteristics and which show what links the quality of the product to the geographical environment are as follows:

The Farga, Serrana, Morrudas, Villalonga and Blanqueta varieties are native to the defined geographical area. Within the defined geographical area they are symbolic of the antiquity, richness and varietal diversity present in the eastern Iberian Peninsula. They are varieties which are well suited to our conditions because they have been selected and propagated by our farmers over a very long time.

The varietal profile and the orography of the defined geographical area dictate a very long non-harvesting period stretching between October and February. Production is limited due to the typical small-scale nature of holdings. The farmer plans the cultivation by deciding when to begin the harvest for each parcel he farms according to the level of ripeness in small sections of the fruit he produces, which allows for a more precise programming of the harvest. This ensures a constant progression from harvests to milling which is at a uniform stage of ripeness and does not require intermediate storage, thus ensuring the quality of the raw material for the production of oil with the characteristic organoleptic and physico-chemical qualities.

Plantation at 300 m to 600 m above sea level means that the temperature variation between day and night is favourable to components in the fruit which give rise to the levels of fruitiness, bitterness and pungency. The ground on which olives are generally grown, low in fertility and with very high levels of active lime, is one of the factors that gives the fruit its particular organoleptic characteristics.

The specific climatic conditions of the production area, both in terms of temperature and rainfall. The concentration of rain in the autumn and spring is hugely beneficial for growing olives and with regard to the quality of the resulting oil as it largely softens the aromatic and taste profile of the oil. Spring rains result in good growth of the crop that will determine the harvest levels in successive years. Finally, the mild temperatures of the Mediterranean Sea in winter and summer result in greater aromatic complexity that gives ‘Aceite de la Comunitat Valenciana’ its unique characteristics.

Reference to publication of the specification

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (3))

http://www.agricultura.gva.es/pc_aceitecomunitatvalenciana

(1) OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.

(2) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12. Replaced by Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

(3) See footnote 2.