EN Official Journal of the European Union C 237/31

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 237/06

This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to 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)

‘SZENTESI PAPRIKA’

EC No: HU-PGI-0005-0912-30.11.2011

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1. Name

‘Szentesi paprika’

2. Member State or Third Country

Hungary

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.6 — Fruit, vegetables and cereals, fresh or processed

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

The protected geographical indication ‘Szentesi paprika’ denotes the fruit, grown by forcing, of the listed variety types and varieties of Capsicum annuum.

When placed on the market, ‘Szentesi paprika’ products must be healthy and intact, and the various variety types must have the following characteristics:

(a) White peppers intended for stuffing (Capsicum annuum L. var. grossum) When ripe, white ‘Szentesi paprika’ is greasy to the touch, its skin smooth and slippery; it breaks by cracking, is blunt and crumpled at the end and its flesh is thick. Its surface is smooth and shiny, its colour yellowish-white (ivory). It has a conical shape, is 60-120 mm long and 40-70 mm wide; it is mostly three- or four-lobed; its flesh is 4-7 mm thick, its consistency solid and its skin thin; it has an intense odour of paprika, and is flavoursome and mild. Varieties grown: Hó, Cibere, Century, Hurricane, Bronson, Emese, Kurca, Creta, Joker, Karma, Bravia (RZ35862), Kalota, Brendon, Antal, Zalkod, Censor, Celtic, Cinema, Glorietta, Dimentio, E-49.39615, Galga, Claudius, Skytia.

(b) Pointed hot peppers (Capsicum annuum L. var. longum) Pointed hot ‘Szentesi paprika’ has a shiny, smooth or slightly wavy surface; it has a long, pointed shape. It is light, medium or dark green in colour, 150-250 mm long and 20-50 mm wide; it is mostly two- or three-lobed, its flesh is 3-4 mm thick, its consistency solid and its skin thin. The fruit has an intense odour of paprika, and a spicy, pleasant flavour and taste. Varieties grown: Daras, Rush, Sarah, Fighter, Kard, Thunder, Kais. The varieties grown have a spiciness rating of 2 500-5 000 on the Scoville scale.

(c) Kápia peppers (Capsicum annuum L. var. grossum) The ‘Szentesi paprika’ of the Kápia group is conical in shape and flattened slightly; it has a smooth, shiny surface and a velvety, dark-red colour when ripe for harvesting. It is 60-120 mm long and 40-70 mm wide; it is typically two- or three-lobed. Its flesh is 4-7 mm thick, its consistency solid and its skin of medium thickness. The fruit is mild and has an intense, sweet flavour and an odour of ground paprika. Varieties grown: Kárpia (T 112), Kapirex, Karpex, Mágus.

(d) Tomato-shaped peppers (Capsicum annuum L. var. grossum) Tomato-shaped ‘Szentesi paprika’ has a very distinctive shape: that of a flattened globe, with a smooth, shiny surface and a deep-red colour when ripe for harvesting. It is 60-120 mm in diameter, 40-60 mm long, three- or four-lobed, and the flesh is 5-7 mm thick. It has a solid consistency, a thin skin, an intense odour of paprika, and it is mild. Varieties grown: Pritavit, Kabala, Bihar. The varieties of the above types that can be grown may vary from year to year.

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only)

—

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only)

—

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

Each of the following stages in the production process of ‘Szentesi paprika’ must occur in the geographical area designated in point 4:

— the production and growing of the pepper seedling,

— the integrated organic production of the various variety types and varieties, including:

— the choice of the production period,

— the development of a growing area,

— soil cultivation and basal dressing,

— planting,

— the preparation of a support structure,

— plant care activities (phytotechnology),

— irrigation and supplementing with nutrients,

— climate regulation,

— the use of environmentally friendly, integrated plant-protection procedures,

— harvesting, preparation of the product, pre-storage and storage,

— destroying pepper stocks, developing and disinfecting production equipment.

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

The classification, packaging and labelling of ‘Szentesi paprika’ occur on the producer’s premises or at any other suitable establishment within the defined geographical area.

In batch packaging: tray, basket, polyethylene bag (3, 5, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80 peppers per unit); by weight: basket, raschel net bag (0,35, 0,5, 0,7, 1, 2 kg of peppers per unit) or box: in M10, M20 or M30 packages (2,5, 10, 12, 14 kg of peppers per unit). The type of packaging of the various variety types may vary at any time according to commercial requirements.

To preserve the characteristic quality and homogeneity of the various variety types and their varieties, as well as the distinctive taste, odour, flavour, consistency and intactness of the ‘Szentesi paprika’ PGI, and to ensure the traceability of products, packaging must occur within the defined geographical area.

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling

— The word combination ‘Szentesi paprika’ must appear on the packaging.

— A bar code label ensuring the traceability of ‘Szentesi paprika’ must also appear.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

Production of the protected geographical indication (PGI) ‘Szentesi paprika’ is based in a contiguous area within Csongrád county.

The production of ‘Szentesi paprika’ occurs within the administrative boundaries of the following localities of Csongrád county: Derekegyháza, Fábiánsebestyén, Felgyő, Mindszent, Nagymágocs, Nagytőke, Szegvár and Szentes.

5. Link with the geographical area

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area

The factors influencing the production of quality peppers, in particular temperature and light, as well as soil and hydrographical properties, created favourable conditions for the development of irrigated pepper production in the Szentes region, which was pioneered by so-called ‘Bulgarian gardeners’ (producers of vegetables using specialised small-scale methods, forced production in hotbeds and irrigation) who settled in the region during the second half of the 19th century.

The Szentes production region is in the south-eastern part of Hungary, in one of the lowest-lying basins of the Great Plain. The region occupies a special place in topographical terms, as it has the country’s lowest-lying land, which slopes down from three sides, from the neighbouring counties to the Tisza valley. The most important watercourse of the region’s hydrographical system is the Tisza river, which also defines its entire geographical physiognomy. Carbonated and solonetzic meadow-chernozem soil is the predominant soil type here on account of the abundance of the region’s surface water. The production area’s soil is in good physical condition. It is crumbly in texture, heats up quickly, has a sub-alkaline pH, good water and nutrient management, a high humus content and a thick topsoil.

During the production of ‘Szentesi paprika’, the key climate factors giving the fruit its content value include the light, the number of sunshine hours, the temperature and the amount of irradiated heat. Continental climatic features predominate in the Szentes production region. The number of sunshine hours is evenly spread throughout the region, which has an average of 2 050 sunshine hours per year. As measured by the annual mean temperature, the production region is one of the country’s warmest. The annual mean temperature is + 10-11 °C, while the heat sum during the growing season is 3 200-3 300 °C. This is very favourable for the production of peppers, which need a lot of heat.

By contrast, the region has the country’s lowest precipitation rate, with annual mean precipitation of 500-550 mm. Typically, 40 % of precipitation falls during the winter semester and 60 % during the summer semester. Water-intensive pepper production has only been possible thanks to irrigation, developed as a result of the region’s favourable hydrographical conditions and introduced by ‘Bulgarian gardeners’.

5.2. Specificity of the product

The main organoleptic values and characteristics of the ‘Szentesi paprika’ originating in the geographical area are: an exceptionally flavoursome, hot, sweet or spicy taste; an intense odour of paprika or an odour reminiscent of ground paprika; its thin skin. The flesh of the fruit is 3-7 mm thick, allowing the taste and flavours of the fruit — usually consumed fresh — to be savoured.

White ‘Szentesi paprika’: when ripe it is greasy to the touch, its skin is smooth and slippery, it breaks by cracking, is blunt and crumpled at the end and its flesh is thick. Fresh peppers have a very distinctive odour and succulence, or in the popular words of consumers: ‘ “Szentesi paprika” has flavour’.

Pointed hot ‘Szentesi paprika’ has a shiny, smooth, slightly wavy skin; it has a pointed, long shape; the flesh has a solid consistency. The fruit has an intense odour of paprika, and a spicy, pleasant flavour and taste. The ‘Szentesi paprika’ of the Kápia group is conical in shape and flattened slightly; the flesh has a solid consistency; its skin is of medium thickness. It has a smooth, shiny surface, and a very attractive velvety, dark-red colour conferred by the geographical environment (the light and heat).

Tomato-shaped ‘Szentesi paprika’ has a very distinctive shape: that of a flattened globe; despite its thick flesh it also has a very thin skin, and the surface of the fruit is smooth; when ripe for harvesting, it has a deep-red colour.

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 link with the geographical area is based on the product’s long-established reputation and local expertise among producers of ‘Szentesi paprika’ passed down through generations.

The reputation of ‘Szentesi paprika’

The development of irrigated pepper production in the Szentes region was pioneered by so-called ‘Bulgarian gardeners’ who settled in the region during the second half of the 19th century. The reputed ‘Szentesi paprika’ has been in continuous production ever since. The product enjoys a high reputation to this day and was awarded the main prize at the Farmer Expo, which included a gardening trade fair, in Debrecen in 2006, at which some 300 Hungarian and foreign firms were represented. In 2007 the sweet pepper intended for fresh consumption won the Magyar Termék Nagydíj (Hungarian Quality Product Award).

Numerous historical data attest to the centuries-old link between the reputation of ‘Szentesi paprika’ and the geographical area. The sweet pepper’s appearance in Hungary can be traced back to the settlement of ‘Bulgarian gardeners’ in Úsztató major in the Szegvár region in the winter of 1875-76. According to the great agricultural census of 1895, 92,74 % of Hungary’s total production of peppers was concentrated in the south-east of the country, in the Szentes area. The gardeners leased land benefiting from Csongrád county’s humus-rich, meadow-chernozem, alluvial soil, which heats up quickly. Wherever possible, they chose to settle on land with a slight slope. For early growing, they used pre-germinated seeds and hotbeds. They also practised intercropping in nursery beds, e.g. growing cucumber seedlings alongside peppers, the cucumbers remaining in place after the peppers were bedded out. The separated seedlings were bedded out with a small lump of earth. They introduced large-scale, regular irrigation: they used warmed stagnant water or shallow, slow-moving running water for irrigation. They had a unique method of extracting and draining water. During this period, so-called ‘chain-bucket wheels’, which adapted to the variable water level, were used in the Szentes area.

Local expertise

The heat management of the surface of the soil is very favourable in the Szentes production region. As the soil in which ‘Szentesi paprika’ is grown absorbs more heat than it releases through radiation at dawn, the heat supply of the soil and the air above increases, raising the temperature. The balanced microclimate produced by the harmonious heat supply and the irrigated production introduced by ‘Bulgarian gardeners’ combine to produce the exceptional flavour of the heat- and water-intensive ‘Szentesi paprika’.

Added to natural factors are the activities of local farmers and practical experience applied in forced production (heat regulation, ventilation, shading, plant care) passed down through generations. Such expertise has helped offset the negative effects of the extreme weather conditions of recent decades, guaranteeing and where possible preserving the taste, colour and flavour of ‘Szentesi paprika’ as well as the attractive shape which is so characteristic of the various variety types.

The techniques introduced by ‘Bulgarian gardeners’ have been adapted to suit the conditions of the day over the past 150 years or so. The essential factors for growing peppers have been reassessed during the production process, and new production methods have appeared. Up to the 1960s, good soil condition, irrigation potential (the Tisza and Körös rivers and the irrigation-channel systems), the number of sunshine hours (potential for early growing), as well as early-spring warming were considered to be the most important factors for production. The next period lasted from the end of the 1960s to the end of the 1980s. Taking full advantage of early warming and the high number of sunshine hours in the winter and spring months, pepper producers began using greenhouses. Since the discovery of geothermal energy in the region between the 1960s and 1980s, the production of ‘Szentesi paprika’ has shifted from the open air to greenhouses, where non-soil-based production methods are gaining ground.

Reference to publication of the specification

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

Vidékfejlesztési Értesítő (Rural Development Bulletin), 16 November 2011, Volume LXI, No 6, p. 317

http://elelmiszerlanc.kormany.hu/minosegpolitika

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

(2) Replaced by Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

(3) See footnote 2.