Publication of an application for registration of a name 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

(2020/C 395/08)

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) within three months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘PISTACCHIO DI RAFFADALI’

EU No: PDO-IT-02449 – 22.2.2019

PDO (X) PGI ( )

1. Name

‘Pistacchio di Raffadali’

2. Member State or third country

Italy

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 designation of origin ‘Pistacchio di Raffadali’ is reserved for the product (in shell, shelled or peeled) of plants of the botanical species ‘Pistacia vera’, ‘Napoletana’ cultivar, also known as ‘Bianca’ or ‘Nostrana’, grafted on to ‘Pistacia terebinthus’, commonly known as ‘Scornabeccu’.

A maximum of 5 % of plants not belonging to the ‘Napoletana’ cultivar and/or rootstocks other than ‘P. terebinthus’ are permitted in each planting.

Products from plants not belonging to the ‘Napoletana’ cultivar and/or from rootstocks other than ‘P. terebinthus’ will be excluded from certification.

When released for consumption, the ‘Pistacchio di Raffadali’ must have the following physical and organoleptic characteristics:

— overall oil content > 30 %

— colour of the cotyledons: green, ratio of chlorophyll a to chlorophyll b ≥ 1,3

— taste: sweet, pleasant and strong

— moisture content ≤ 6,5 %

— presence of palmitoleic acid ≥ 0,7 %

— elongated shape.

3.3. Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

—

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

Planting, cultivation, harvesting, drying, husking, shelling and peeling.

3.5. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

The ‘Pistacchio di Raffadali’ may be released for consumption:

— in the case of products (in shell, shelled or peeled) for use in processing and not intended for delivery to the final consumer, in cloth bags and/or other suitable material, up to a weight of 25 kg,

— in the case of in shell, shelled or peeled products, intended for delivery to the final consumer, in suitable packaging which is transparent or which includes a transparent window so that the product is visible.

3.6. Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

The packaging and/or bags must bear, in addition to the European PDO label and the logo described below, the name ‘Pistacchio di Raffadali’, in clear, indelible letters that are clearly distinguishable from all other words.

The ‘Pistacchio di Raffadali’ identifying logo consists of a rectangle containing a graphic representation of a branch from a pistachio plant with three oval leaves and four pistachio nuts inside their split shells; below the rectangle is the wording in capitals, ‘PISTACCHIO DI RAFFADALI PDO’, in Gotham Medium font.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The production area of ‘Pistacchio di Raffadali’ falls within the administrative boundaries of the following municipalities of the Province of Agrigento: Raffadali, Joppolo Giancaxio, Santa Elisabetta, Agrigento, Cianciana, Favara, Racalmuto, Sant’Angelo Muxaro, San Biagio Platani, Cattolica Eraclea, Casteltermini, Santo Stefano Quisquina, Aragona, Comitini, Grotte, Montallegro, Alessandria della Rocca, Siculiana, Realmonte, Naro, Porto Empedocle, Castrofilippo, Campobello di Licata, Ribera, Canicatti, Palma di Montechiaro, Ravanusa, Camastra; Montedoro and Serradifalco in the province of Caltanissetta.

5. Link with the geographical area

Pistachio cultivation increased significantly in the second half of the nineteenth century, as pastures and fallow land were transformed into pistachio groves and the crop became the focal point of the area’s entire agricultural and economic system.

The production area is characterised by calcareous soils typical of evaporite deposits and a semi-arid subtropical Mediterranean climate, with long, dry summers, rainfall concentrated in the autumn and winter periods and significant variations between day and night temperatures, with minimum temperatures only occasionally dropping to around 0 °C.

The use and choice of the terebinth (Pistacia terebinthus), a species well suited to very arid conditions, as a rootstock, the nature of the substrates of calcareous origin and the cultivation of the plants in south-facing, sunny locations determine a combination of factors resulting from wise choices, that allow a fruit to be produced with specific quality characteristics, such as a high oil content. This characteristic is enhanced by the high ambient temperatures in summer time, which cause more fatty acids (the basic constituents of the oils in the pistachio) to be formed during the fruit differentiation phase. Studies on the climate in the ‘Pistacchio di Raffadali’ production area have revealed that compared to other pistachio-growing areas of eastern Sicily, the dry season is longer with higher average monthly and peak temperatures.

Another distinctive characteristic is the sweet, pleasant and strong taste linked to the soil composition in the cultivation area. Mineral absorption is known to depend on the soil pH and some macronutrients such as calcium, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium fare better when the pH is over 7. Samples taken in the ‘Pistacchio di Raffadali’ production area show that the soils tend to be sub-alkaline with pH values in excess of 7,5.

The ‘Pistacchio di Raffadali’ also has a complex fatty acid profile in the fruit with a palmitoleic acid content greater than or equal to 0,7 %.

The human aspect is expressed in the specific know-how in how ‘Pistacchio di Raffadali’ is grown, as the plants are specially pruned to grow at a low height with creeping branches which almost touch the ground. Although this growing technique was originally intended to make the harvesting process easier and prevent the clusters from ripening at different rates, over the years it has also become a defining feature of the landscape.

Over the centuries, farmers became the main drivers behind these changes: while making very good use of the characteristics and optimum conditions of their surroundings, they acquired a specific professional skill and created a landscape that is unique to the production area.

Reference to publication of the specification

(the second subparagraph of Article 6(1) of this Regulation)

The full text of the product specification is available via the following link:

https://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/3335.

or by going directly to the home page of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food, Forestry and Tourism Policy (www.politicheagricole.it), clicking on ‘Qualità’, then on ‘Prodotti DOP IGP e STG’ (on the left-hand side of the screen) and finally on ‘Disciplinari di Produzione all’esame dell’UE’.

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