EN Official Journal of the European Union C 78/13

Publication of an application pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs

2010/C 78/08

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months of the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘PEPERONE DI PONTECORVO’

EC No: IT-PDO-005-0675-15.02.2008

PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1. Name:

‘Peperone di Pontecorvo’

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 the product to which the name in (1) applies:

The protected designation of origin ‘Peperone di Pontecorvo’ refers to the fruit of the local ecotype ‘Capiscum annum’, local type ‘Cornetto di Pontecorvo’.

When released for consumption, ‘Peperone di Pontecorvo’ must have the following characteristics:- Fruit: whole, trilobed; Colour: red, with green veins covering up to 40 % of the surface being permitted; Shape: elongated cylindrical/conical; Size: — weight: over 150 g for ‘extra’, from 100 g to 150 g for ‘1st choice’; length: over 18 cm for ‘extra’, from 14 cm to 18 cm for ‘1st choice’; Flesh: fine; Skin: thinner than other products in the same category of goods; Flavour: sweet.

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 defined geographical area:

All steps in the production process, from production of the seed and the plants obtained exclusively from material from the population of the local ecotype ‘Capiscum annum’, type ‘Cornetto di Pontecorvo’, to growing and harvesting of the final product ‘Peperone di Pontecorvo’ must take place within the area indicated in point 4.

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

‘Peperone di Pontecorvo’ PDO must be packaged within the production area identified in point 4, so as to avoid a situation whereby excessive handling causes friction, leading to tissue breakage and loss of cell fluid. Accordingly, after being harvested the fruit must be placed in containers, avoiding exposure to the sun.

The package types permitted are: 200 g, 1 kg up to 10 kg in cardboard, wooden or non-toxic plastic food containers, sealed in such a way as to make it impossible for the contents to be removed without the wrapping being broken.

The packaging must be clean and non-toxic and comply with the legal provisions in force. The product must be free of foreign bodies.

The content of each package and crate must be homogeneous and contain only fruit of the same quality category, colour group and size.

Each fruit must be protected by paper or other suitable material and marked with the logo.

3.7. Specific rules on labelling:

The label must contain the following information: the wording ‘Peperone di Pontecorvo’, which must appear in clear, indelible letters that are significantly larger than and markedly different from all other wording and be followed by the term ‘Denominazione di Origine Protetta’ and its abbreviation ‘D.O.P.’; the name, business name and address of the producer and packager; the quantity of product originally contained in the containers, expressed in accordance with the rules in force. The logo of the product is a stylised picture of a woman in the traditional costume of Pontecorvo, known as the ‘pacchiana’, with a basket containing six ‘Peperone di Pontecorvo’ peppers, while a seventh ‘Peperone di Pontecorvo’ partly enters the banderole on which is written ‘Peperone di Pontecorvo’. The wording ‘Peperone di Pontecorvo’ must be in Italian.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area:

The geographical area where ‘Peperone di Pontecorvo’ is produced is in Frosinone Province and is composed of the entire administrative territory of Pontecorvo municipality and the parts of the administrative territory of Esperia, S. Giorgio a Liri, Pignataro Interamna, Villa S. Lucia, Piedimonte S. Germano, Aquino, Castrocielo, Roccasecca and San Giovanni Incarico municipalities within the Liri Valley that are washed by the river of the same name and have the same soil and climatic characteristics.

5. Link with the geographical area:

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area:

The production area is composed of quaternary soils deposited in an alluvial environment linked to the presence of the River Liri and its tributaries. The soil tends to be loose with good clay content and the presence of neutral, slightly alkaline limestone. It is very deep, permeable and well drained, meaning that excess water can drain off quickly. The climate is Mediterranean, with high relative humidity, limited wind and average annual rainfall of around 1 100 mm-1 200 mm, which is well distributed, particularly in the phase of soil preparation and in the initial stages of the crop cycle.

5.2. Specificity of the product:

The essential specific characteristics of ‘Peperone di Pontecorvo’ as compared to other peppers are that it is highly flavoursome and easier to digest as a result of its thin skin, to the extent that the quantity that remains in the mouth after chewing is significantly less than for other products of the same type.

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 application for recognition of ‘Peperone di Pontecorvo’ as a PDO is justified by the specific characteristics that distinguish it from other products of the same category. The specific nature of ‘Peperone di Pontecorvo’ is closely tied in with the soil, climatic and human conditions of the production area. These conditions have allowed for the distinction and success of the local ecotype ‘Cornetto di Pontecorvo’, from which the characteristics of ‘Peperone di Pontecorvo’ derive. The soil in which ‘Peperone di Pontecorvo’ is grown is very fertile and particularly rich in nutrients. In combination with the area’s rainfall characteristics, it allows a highly flavoursome product to be grown. Together with the natural factors is the input of the work of local operators who, year in year out, have had the know-how to select the best local fruit, producing young seedlings in well prepared nurseries and choosing for these the most suitable crop treatments for enhancing the qualities of the ecotype. The breeding carried out over time has increased the fineness of the skin of ‘Peperone di Pontecorvo’ and made the product be appreciated for being very easy to digest. There is much historical evidence attesting to the propensity of the area towards growing, producing, marketing and consuming ‘Peperone di Pontecorvo’. A pamphlet from 1830, when the Principality of Pontecorvo was under the control of the Papal States, listed ‘Peperone di Pontevorvo’ among the area’s vegetable crops. In an 1873 article on the excise proposal in Pontecorvo municipality, a ‘market duty’ was sought on the sale of capiscum (peppers). The ‘Jacini Enquiry’ of 1882 reported the presence of peppers among the crops grown in the local vegetable gardens and the entire district, while the analysis of the population’s eating habits stated that the peasants considered these peppers a ‘pleasant accompaniment to bread …’. The establishment of the Agricultural Consortium in May 1889 made a lasting and effective contribution to pepper cultivation, which increased significantly in the following years, becoming, and remaining to this day, one of the area’s resources.

Reference to publication of the specification:

The Ministry launched the national objection procedure with the publication of the proposal for recognising ‘Peperone di Pontecorvo’ as a protected designation of origin in Official Gazette of the Italian Republic No 296 of 21 December 2007.

The full text of the product specification is available on the internet:

http://www.politicheagricole.it/DocumentiPubblicazioni/Search_Documenti_Elenco.htm?txtTipoDocumento=Disciplinare%20in%20esame%20UE&txtDocArgomento=Prodotti%20di%20Qualit%E0>Prodotti%20Dop,%20Igp%20e%20Stg

or:

by going directly to the home page of the Ministry (http://www.politicheagricole.it) and clicking on ‘Prodotti di Qualità’ (on the left of the screen) and finally on ‘Disciplinari di Produzione all’esame dell’UE [regolamento (CE) n. 510/2006]’.

(1) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.