EN Official Journal of the European Union C 220/14

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 220/09

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.

SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘FARINA DI CASTAGNE DELLA LUNIGIANA’

EC No: IT-PDO-0005-0525-22.02.2006

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

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

1. Responsible department in the Member State:

Name: Ministero delle politiche agricole e forestali Address: Via XX Settembre 20 00187 Roma RM ITALIA Tel. +39 0646655106 Fax +39 0646655306 E-mail: saco7@politicheagricole.it

2. Group:

Name: Comitato Promotore D.O.P. «Farina di castagne della Lunigiana» Address: Loc. Torre di Apella 1 Licciana Nardi 54016 Massa Carrara MS ITALIA Tel. +39 0521484329 Fax +39 0521494652 E-mail: farinalunigiana@libero.it Composition: Producers/processors ( X ) Other ( )

3. Type of product:

Class 1.6 Fruit, vegetables and cereals, whether or not processed

4. Specification:

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

4.1. Name:

‘Farina di castagne della Lunigiana’

4.2. Description:

‘Farina di Castagne della Lunigiana’ PDO is a sweet flour obtained from the processing of varieties of chestnuts of the species Castanea sativa (Mill.) grown historically in the production area, i.e. Bresciana, Carpanese, Fosetta, Marzolina, Moretta, Primaticcia, Rigola, Rossella and Rossola. At least 70 % of the chestnuts used to produce ‘Farina di Castagne della Lunigiana’ must be of the Bresciana, Carpanese and Rossola varieties.

On release for consumption, ‘Farina di Castagne della Lunigiana’ is velvety to the touch and fine on the palate, with grains measuring 0,8 mm or less and at least 80 % of the grains measuring 0,3 mm or less. The flour is sweet, with a total sugar content of not less than 20 %, a distinctive chestnut fragrance and no mouldy or stale smell. The colour varies from white to ivory and the maximum moisture content is 8 %.

4.3. Geographical area:

The production area of ‘Farina di Castagne della Lunigiana’ PDO lies within the Province of Massa Carrara and comprises the whole of the following municipalities: Aulla, Bagnone, Casola in Lunigiana, Comano, Filattiera, Fivizzano, Fosdinovo, Licciana Nardi, Mulazzo, Podenzana, Pontremoli, Tresana, Villafranca in Lunigiana and Zeri.

4.4. Proof of origin:

Each stage in the production process is monitored, with all inputs and outputs being documented. The traceability of the product is guaranteed in this way, by entering the land registry plots on which the product is grown and the names of the chestnut growers, dryers, millers and packers in registers managed by the inspection body and by declaring to the inspection body in due time the quantities produced. Registers are also kept of the ‘gradili’ (drying houses) used to dry the chestnuts, the mills and the packing plants. All natural and legal persons entered in the relevant registers are subject to checks by the inspection body, according to the terms of the specification and the corresponding inspection plan.

4.5. Method of production:

The density of trees in production may not exceed 160 per hectare and the maximum yield may not exceed 3 500 kg per hectare. At least 70 % of the chestnuts used to produce ‘Farina di Castagne della Lunigiana’ must be of the Bresciana, Carpanese and Rossola varieties. The chestnuts are harvested from 29 September to 15 December.

Chestnuts for the production of ‘Farina di Castagne della Lunigiana’ PDO must be dried in structures known as ‘gradili’ over a slow fire using exclusively chestnut wood for a minimum of 25 days. After the chestnuts have been dried, the outer peel is removed using traditional beating machines, they are ‘winnowed’ mechanically or by traditional methods and then checked by hand and any damaged parts removed. The yield of dried, peeled chestnuts, as a proportion by weight of the raw chestnuts used, must not exceed 32 %.

The dried chestnuts must be ground into ‘Farina di Castagne della Lunigiana’ PDO at traditional, either electrically or water powered mills, with stone grinders. Milling must take place no later than 30 January of the year following harvest and each mill may grind no more than 500 kg of dried chestnuts per day per grinder, so that a high operating speed does not clog the stone and make it overheat, causing the final product to lose its precious ‘talc-like’ properties.

4.6. Link:

‘Farina di Castagne della Lunigiana’ Protected Designation of Origin has a markedly sweet taste that clearly distinguishes it from similar products on the market. This derives principally from the varieties of chestnut grown, the production area’s soil and climate and human action over the centuries to maintain production of the flour. It is the geological conformation of the area, and in particular its altitude and climate, that are responsible for the sweetness of the chestnuts. Lunigiana’s orography, morphology, hydrography and climate make it ideal for the production of sweet chestnuts, which prosper everywhere, all the way from valley floors up to 1 000 m above sea level. The peculiar relief of the production area, which forms a ‘basin’, together with the east-west exposure of the hillsides on which the chestnut groves lie, temperatures that are never excessive at any point during the year and particularly during the growing season (June to September) and the cool summer breezes blowing off the sea nearby mitigate temperature peaks during the summer, protecting the trees from stress and ensuring that the chestnuts used to produce the flour constantly develop high levels of sugar. Lunigiana is characterised by deep, narrow torrential valleys, hills, mountains and rift valleys. This special morphology has created an abundant and typically torrential hydrographic system, which has been cleverly exploited by local people as a source of power for the area's many water mills. Mills remain an important feature of the rural landscape and are still used to grind dried chestnuts. The millstones used in the mills, formerly water driven and now also electrically powered, allow slow and constant grinding that avoids overheating and produces a flour that is velvety to the touch and fine on the palate. In addition, the ‘gradili’, found in every chestnut grove, as well as being, together with the mills, a distinctive feature of Lunigiana, are evidence of the long history of chestnut processing in the area. Proof is to be found in the 15th century chronicles of Giovanni Antonio da Faie, which underline the importance of chestnuts to the local economy and the need to maintain production because ‘for two thirds of the population, chestnuts are the bread of Lunigiana’. The author also mentions that there is little difference between the price of wheat flour and that of chestnut flour. In addition to the special nature of the geographical area and traditional milling methods, mention must also be made of the human factor. Each stage in the processing of the flour, from harvesting of the chestnuts, to drying them and grinding them, fully in accordance with local traditions, is subject to human monitoring and control. The traditional harvest period still begins today on Saint Michael’s Day, 29 September, which coincides with the time when the fruit begin to fall spontaneously, when climate conditions cause the husks of the earliest varieties to open. One of the area’s sayings is ‘Chestnuts in the basket on Saint Michael’s Day’. During harvest, an initial selection is made on site of healthy fruit, followed by preparation of the ‘gradili’ in which the chestnuts are placed. A fire is then kept burning for at least 25 days under constant supervision and fed, in accordance with tradition, exclusively with chestnut wood. After drying, the chestnuts are checked by hand and any damaged parts removed before they are sent for milling. There is no doubt that over time the growing and processing of chestnuts came to be of great economic importance in Lunigiana and between the 15th and 18th centuries all the municipalities in Lunigiana, from Rocca Sigillina to Tresana, to Equi and Moncigoli and from Gragnola to Pontremoli, adopted detailed rules and penalties to protect the chestnut groves that had existed in the area for centuries. Archaeological research has established that the chestnut tree was present in Lunigiana from the first century A.D. and spread between the fifth and sixth centuries. Remains uncovered near the parish church of Sorano (Filattiera), on the site of what was a Byzantine settlement, itself built on a former Roman estate, are amongst the oldest discovered in Italy and are evidence of a rapid ‘revolution’ in agriculture, in which the chestnut tree replaced the oak and, finding an ideal environment, has remained over the centuries, helping to provide the local population with a secure and important source of food. An ancient land, Lunigiana has maintained the habits and customs that distinguish it in the field of Italian traditions. At the ‘Festa della Ricca’, the ‘richest’ housewife in the village gave an afternoon snack and in Filetto she would provide sweet chestnut flour. The ‘baladura’ or ‘ballatura’, an operation that involved treading the partly husked chestnuts underfoot on the threshing-floor to complete husking, was a real festival and, accompanied by the singing of popular songs, was in fact the most joyful and happy event in the whole cycle of processing the chestnuts. The area also abounds with sayings in the local dialect and social practices linked to chestnut-growing. The local cuisine has a whole range of dishes using chestnut flour, including ‘pattòna’ (chestnut-flour polenta), ‘cian’ (muffins), ‘fritei’ and ‘padléti’ (pancakes), ‘lasagna bastarda’ (a special type of lasagna) and ‘pane marocca’ (bread). These products were often accompanied by milk products or sausages. Finally, the chestnut tree has permeated the culture of Lunigiana to such an extent that here children were not born under a mulberry bush or brought by a stork but were found in the hollow trunk of an old chestnut tree.

4.7. Inspection body:

Name: Camera di Commercio Industria Artigianato e Agricoltura di Massa Carrara Address: Via VII Luglio 14 54033 Carrara MS ITALIA Tel. +39 05857641 Fax +39 0585776515 E-mail: —

4.8. Labelling:

‘Farina di Castagne della Lunigiana’ PDO is released for consumption from 15 November of the year of production in transparent plastic bags weighing 500 g, 1 kg or 5 kg. These bags may be placed inside paper or cloth packets. The packaging must be closed with an irremovable seal affixed in such a way that the contents cannot be removed without breaking the seal. The single-use seal used to close each packet must be stamped with the words ‘Farina di Castagne della Lunigiana D.O.P.’ (Farina di Castagne della Lunigiana PDO) and the year of production. The seals differ in colour according to weight: white for 500 g packets; brown for 1 kg packets; and red for 5 kg packets. A label is also affixed to each bag, bearing, in addition to the information laid down by law, the following: the logo of ‘Farina di Castagne della Lunigiana’ PDO, the date the product was packed and the use-by date, which may not be more than one year.

The logo shows two chestnuts, one overlapping the other, the one in front leaning to the left and the other upright. Both the chestnuts are brown, with light brown highlights on the convex part against the hazelnut brown colour of the rest of the fruit. The background comprises three bands of equal dimensions in the colours of the Italian flag: green, white and red. On the right of the green band are the words ‘Denominazione di origine protetta’ (Protected Designation of Origin).

The words ‘Farina di Castagne della Lunigiana’ must be in Italian.

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