EN Official Journal of the European Union C 72/62

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

(2009/C 72/10)

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 from the date of this publication.

SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘MOUTARDE DE BOURGOGNE’

EC No: FR-PGI-005-0503-25.10.2005

PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

This summary sets out the main elements of the product specification for information purposes.

1. Responsible department in the Member State:

Name: Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (I.N.A.O.) Address: 51, rue d'Anjou 75 008 Paris FRANCE Tel. +33 153898000 Fax +33 142255797 E-mail: info@inao.gouv.fr

2. Group:

Name: Association Moutarde de Bourgogne (AMB) Address: AMB ARIA Bourgogne 4, Bd du Docteur Jean Veillet 21 000 Dijon FRANCE Tel. +33 380288140 Fax +33 380288169 E-mail: laure.ohleyer@cote-dor.chambagri.fr Composition: Producers/processors ( X ) Other ( X )

3. Type of product:

Class 2.6: Mustard paste

4. Specification:

(Summary of requirements under Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

4.1. Name:

‘Moutarde de Bourgogne’

4.2. Description:

‘Moutarde de Bourgogne’ is a strong or extra-strong mustard containing white wine. It is pale yellow with a uniform, thick, creamy texture. It has the strong, characteristic smell of white Burgundy. The taste is intensely sharp, with a strong flavour of white Burgundy.

4.2.1. Ingredients and authorised additives:

— mustard seeds produced and stored in Burgundy,

— liquid used in dilution: a mixture of water and white wine with a protected designation of origin, produced in the Burgundy wine-growing region; the minimum proportion of wine is 25 % during dilution. The wines used are dry white wines produced from the traditional Burgundy grapes Aligoté and Chardonnay. They are noted for their powerful aroma and long finish,

— salt, sugar, spices and additives (those authorised by the 1995 European Directive on additives, with the exception of artificial colouring agents, cereal flours and all other stabilisers and thickening agents, natural and artificial mustard essences, and extract of or essential mustard oil).

4.2.2. Physico-chemical properties of ‘Moutarde de Bourgogne’:

— dry extract from seeds > or = 24 % in weight of the finished product,

— fats from the mustard seed > or = 9 % in weight of the finished product,

— the quantity of seed coat remaining in the paste is under 2 % of the total weight.

4.3. Geographical area:

The production and storage of seeds and the production (processing) of mustard paste must be carried out in the geographical production area. This area consists of the départements making up the Burgundy region: Côte d'Or, Nièvre, Saône and Loire, and Yonne.

The geographical area was established on the basis of special local know-how in Burgundy in the production of mustard seeds and wine, which are processed to produce a mustard paste that results in a product with original characteristics (cf. paragraph 4.6).

The mustard seeds produced in Burgundy have special properties which have been recognised for centuries. Charles Estienne, Francis I's physician, considered that the mustard produced in Burgundy was of a superior quality because of the charlock used (common name for the mustard seed plant). Charlock was grown in woods and in charcoal-burning clearings up until the Second World War. Following the combustion of the charcoal in these clearings, the soil became rich in potassium and very suitable for growing mustard (and producing seeds rich in mustard essence), which the charcoal-burners sowed in March and harvested in August. In addition, the quite uniform, semi-continental Burgundian climate is suited to mustard-growing. Mustard-growing does not require a lot of water. Mustard plants flourish in places where there is a shortage of water and high temperatures. They do not grow well in places where the weather is excessively damp at the end of spring. Following a decline in mustard-growing lasting several decades, it was resumed in Burgundy on the initiative of the industries producing mustard paste, the aim being to ensure a supply of good quality raw materials and improve the quality of the finished product. This programme to resume mustard-growing involves research bodies, the Côte d'Or Chamber of Agriculture, regional storage agencies, farmers and processing companies. Varieties with specific characteristics were selected to satisfy the special Burgundian soil and climate needs, and the quality requirements of the processing companies.

Within this area, a zone was chosen that was suitable for growing mustard seed. The zone was defined in line with geological and soil criteria to ensure suitability for mustard-growing, therefore acid brown soils and high-altitude brown soils with podzols were excluded. Mustard-growing tests had shown that these soils had limited potential because of poor grain-filling and insufficient volatile isothiocyanate content, making it impossible to obtain a typical mustard paste.

4.4. Proof of origin:

Traceability based on codified documents is assured throughout the process of producing Burgundy mustard, from the plot where the plants are grown to the packaged mustard paste. The mustard seeds are harvested only on the plots included in the growing area approved for the PGI. These plots must comply with the selection criteria laid down in the production plan. The farmers supply their products to storage agencies located in Burgundy. All operators involved in mustard seed production, storage and processing are obliged to keep codified documents. Analytical tests are conducted on the mustard seeds and paste during manufacture.

4.5. Method of production:

Only the seed varieties chosen by the Association Moutarde de Bourgogne (Burgundy mustard association — AMB), which come from the species Brassica juncea (brown and white mustard) and Brassica nigra, are authorised for mustard-seed growing. A production plan has been drawn up which covers the areas under mustard plants, the selection of plots and the planting of mustard in the PGI zone. When the seeds are harvested, they are delivered to a storage agency located in Burgundy which looks after traceability and seed cleaning and storage.

The batches of seeds are then subject to approval, during which the following criteria are checked:

— Burgundian origin of the seeds and varieties chosen by the AMB,

— presence of green or immature seeds, which should not be more than 1,5 % (grades I and II),

— presence of foreign seeds: 0,3 % at most in the case of grade I, 0,5 % at most in the case of grade II,

— absence of insects, mould and overheating

— size of the seeds: thousand-seed weight > 2,35 g (> 2 g in the case of exceptional climate conditions),

— water and volatile materials: 4,2 % to 9 % mass,

— fats: 28 % to 42 % mass on a dry weight basis,

— volatile isothiocyanate: 0,7 % to 0,94 % mass on a dry weight basis,

— protein: 24,2 % to 30,8 % mass on a dry weight basis.

Following approval, the seeds are prepared and delivered to industries located in the geographical area. The seeds are crushed and brought into contact with the dilution liquid (water + wine). The wine used is a white wine with a protected designated origin produced in the Burgundy wine-growing area. During this stage, the kernel is removed from the seed and an initial mustard paste is produced. This paste is then sieved to remove the seed coats. The result is a pale yellow paste with a uniform, thick, creamy texture, which is ‘de-aerated’. Then follows a rest period to allow the mustard to develop a sharp taste. The paste is then stored and packaged.

4.6. Link:

The link with geographic origin is based on ancient regional know-how, the traditional growing of mustard seeds in Burgundy, a strong historic link between mustard and Burgundy wine-growing, and an age-old reputation.

4.6.1. Specific quality

‘Moutarde de Bourgogne’, characterised by its intensely sharp taste, is obtained from mixing mustard seeds grown and stored in Burgundy with a dilution liquid consisting of water, salt, sugar, spices and at least 25 % of dry white wine made from traditional Burgundy grapes. These white wines have a characteristic powerful aroma and long finish, giving ‘moutarde de Bourgogne’ its strong, typical smell and pronounced white Burgundy wine flavour, which distinguish it from other mustards. The dry extract from the seeds must be higher than 24 %, while the fats must be higher than 9 %.

4.6.2 Reputation

There are close historic ties between Burgundy and mustard. It is said that a large cask (206,75 l) of mustard was consumed in 1336 at a feast organised at Rouvres by Duke Eudes IV, Duke of Burgundy, in honour of Philippe VI. Back in the 16th century, statutes were laid down to define the mustard-makers' guild (the statutes of Dijon date from 1634 and those of Beaune from 1647). Up until the 19th century, mustard was manufactured in small workshops. Then the industrial revolution began to affect the mustard industry. Burgundy manufacturers rivalled one another in ingenuity, for instance Mr Grey, a Dijon mustard manufacturer, who had a machine which significantly increased productivity patented in 1850 by the Académie des Arts, Sciences et Belles Lettres. Between 1750 and 1984, there were 263 mustard manufacturers. Such density was unknown in any other French region.

Mustard-seed growing in Burgundy also has a long history as can be seen from the fact that Francis I's physician, Charles Estienne, considered that the mustard produced in Burgundy was of a high quality because of the mustard plant ‘which grew better there than in any other region’.

Wine and mustard are closely linked. In 1911, A. Berthiot thought that the reputation of mustard was due to the quality of the manufacturing process which, he said, involved crushing the finest seeds and mixing in a special Burgundy liquid, verjuice, which was a kind of very sour wine obtained from pressing white grapes that were not completely ripe. When the plants producing these grapes were destroyed by phylloxera, the manufacturers turned to little acidic white wines, which later disappeared and were replaced by wine produced from quality vines that had been grafted. Replacing vinegar with white wine made it possible to typify the mustard organoleptically.

Mustard-makers began to use the designation ‘Moutarde de Bourgogne’ very early on. For instance, the trademark ‘Moutarde de Bourgogne, extra-blanche supérieure’ (Burgundy mustard, superior extra-white) was registered with Sens court (89) in 1891, while in 1903, the trade name ‘Moutarde Jacquemart au pur verjus de Bourgogne’ (Jacquemart mustard with pure Burgundy verjuice) was registered with Dijon court. In addition to the use of the designation, the fact that the brand names chosen referred to Burgundy and its history indicates the well-established reputation of Burgundy mustard, for instance in names such as ‘Jean-sans-Peur’, ‘Téméraire’, ‘Moutarde à la cuillère de la Belle Bourguignonne’ and ‘La Bourguignonne’.

4.6.3. Human factors and specific know-how

There was extensive mustard-seed growing in Burgundy up until the Second World War. After 1945, the mustard industries tried to keep production in the region. To this end, the mustard manufacturers' association published a brochure on mustard-plant growing. However, these initiatives were undermined by competition from other oil and fibre plants and on the world market.

It was not until the start of the 1990s that mustard-seed growing was resumed to a significant extent. At that point in time, the entire sector shared the same concerns:

— the manufacturers were attempting to diversify their sources of supply and to gain some control over the quality of the production and raw materials. In order to do this, they wanted to influence the development of seeds so as to improve the quality of the finished product,

— the farmers were endeavouring to diversify their products and to develop them on a regional basis.

A steering committee was established, therefore, to oversee the resumption of this activity:

— the Dijon Etablissement National d'Enseignement Supérieur Agronomique (national agricultural training institute) and the Institut national de recherche agronomique pour la recherche génétique (national institute of agricultural genetic research), which focused on improving productivity and ensuring the specific quality of seeds to meet the criteria laid down by the AMB,

— the Côte d'Or Chamber of Agriculture, which was engaged in applied research and experimentation,

— regional storage agencies, concentrating on logistics, and seed harvesting and packaging,

— the farmers, who tested in the field the references established in the experimental stations and grew sufficient quantities of seeds to enable manufacturers to conduct manufacturing trials,

— the French federation of prepared-meat industries, prepared-food suppliers and meat processers, and industries involved in various manufacturing trials: pilot, semi-industrial and industrial tests.

As a result of this cooperation, it was possible to reference two varieties for the PGI approach.

Production expanded as this research got under way, rising from approximately 350 ha in 1993 to 1 230 ha in 2003.

4.7. Inspection body:

Name: CERTIPAQ Address: 44, rue La Quintinie 75015 Paris FRANCE Tel. +33 145309292 Fax +33 145309300 E-mail: certipaq@certipaq.com

4.8. Labelling:

The label must include the following indications:

— name under which product is sold: ‘Moutarde de Bourgogne’,

— PGI logo.

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