Publication of an application for approval of an amendment, which is not minor, to a product specification 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

(2022/C 312/06)

This publication confers the right to oppose the amendment 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.

APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE PRODUCT SPECIFICATION OF PROTECTED DESIGNATIONS OF ORIGIN/PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS WHICH IS NOT MINOR

Application for approval of an amendment in accordance with the first subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012

‘Pitina’

EU No: PGI-IT-02332-AM01 – 21.2.2022

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1. Applicant group and legitimate interest

Associazione Produttori Pitina Via Roma, 1 - 33092 Meduno – PN ITALIA

Tel. +39 3356987484

Email: info@pitina-igp.it

The Associazione Produttori Pitina [‘Pitina’ Producers’ Association] is entitled to submit an amendment application in accordance with Article 13(1) of Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy Decree No 12511 of 14 October 2013.

2. Member State or Third Country

Italy

3. Heading in the product specification affected by the amendment(s)

☐ Name of product

☒ Description of product

☐ Geographical area

☐ Proof of origin

☒ Method of production

☐ Link

☐ Labelling

☐ Other [to be specified]

4. Type of amendment(s)

☒ Amendment to product specification of a registered PDO or PGI not to be qualified as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

☐ Amendment to product specification of registered PDO or PGI for which a Single Document (or equivalent) has not been published not to be qualified as minor in accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

5. Amendment(s)

5.1. Amendment of critical elements: Description of product

The maximum salt and protein content indicated in Article 2(4) of the product specification (Description of product) and point 3.2 of the Single Document (Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies) has been amended as follows.

The limit value for salt content has been amended from ‘< 3,5 %’ to ‘< 5,3 %’.

The amendment concerns the correction of a clerical error in the parameter for ‘salt’. The current value is the result of a typing error that reversed the two digits. This can be clearly seen from a comparison with the figures indicated in Article 5(2)(5) of the product specification, which show that a minimum of 15 g and a maximum of 32 g of salt is permitted in the seasoning per kilogram of meat paste: given the reduction in weight of 30–35 % during maturation, the 32 g of salt added with the seasoning for every kilogram of fresh meat becomes 47,5–49,2 g of salt in the matured meat, which is close to the correct limit of 5,3 % and would not be compatible with the incorrect limit currently in force. The correct figure is still consistent with a low dosage of salt, since sodium chloride traditionally acts as a preservative in combination with smoking.

The limit value for protein content has been amended from ‘< 28 %’ to ‘< 38 %’.

The amendment concerns a change to the parameter for ‘protein’. Historically, the sheep and goats whose meat was used to produce ‘Pitina’ were old, end-of-career animals. Subsequent changes in what is considered ‘end-of-career’ have gradually led to the use of younger animals, with the result that the protein content tends to be higher.

It was the norm for ‘Pitina’ to contain less than 28 % protein at the time when the first physico-chemical assessments were carried out on rational samples of products made from the meat of old animals with a low protein content. The expansion of production in response to the steady evolution of modern agri-food consumption habits and the use of animals coming from production (meat and milk) rearing cycles have improved the quality of the meat used and have thus led to the standardisation of the protein content according to the characteristics of the most widely used meat, while still respecting traditional processing methods.

The ‘Pitina’ tradition and its original characteristics are preserved intact by regulations specifying a maximum protein content rather than a minimum value, which is instead the case for the majority of descriptive requirements for charcuterie and/or other meat products.

5.2. Amendment of non-critical elements: Method of production

Point 5 of Article 5(2) of the product specification (Processing stages and methods) and point 3.3 of the Single Document (Feed and raw materials) have been amended as regards the use of nitrates and nitrites in the seasoning mixture to make the use of these two additives optional, rather than mandatory.

The amendment introduces the word ‘optionally’ in the specification concerning the use of nitrites and nitrates in the seasoning mixture.

The purpose of the amendment is to make explicit provision for the possibility of not using nitrites and nitrates as preservatives and/or stabilisers, as a number of producers do not consider this practice essential for the production of ‘Pitina’ that complies with the requirements. The amendment does not require a change to the description of the product, since the description of the finished product specifies that these additives are present in quantities of less than 100 mg/kg for nitrates and less than 25 mg/kg for nitrites, which is also consistent with the additives being entirely absent.

5.3. Amendment of non-critical elements: Method of production

Points 6 and 7 of Article 5(2) of the product specification (Processing stages and methods) have been amended to provide more detailed specifications concerning the smoking and drying stages.

In particular, point 6 has been amended to specify that smoking ‘can be alternated with drying’ and the ambient temperature for smoking has been changed from ‘18–30 °C’ to ‘must not exceed 30 °C’.

In point 7, the start time for calculating the duration of drying has been changed from ‘24:00 on the day when drying starts’ to ‘from the hour when drying starts’.

The combined effect of these amendments is to make the possibility of alternating the drying and smoking stages explicit, without prejudice to the corresponding requirements already specified. The low level of smoking that ‘Pitina’ undergoes and the delicate nature of the drying process do not require a rigid sequence of the two operations so much as a combination of effects necessary for the maturation stage. In the ‘Pitina’ production process, there is sometimes a need to alternate the smoking and drying stages, while still maintaining the original minimum, maximum and total duration and combustion times, and these must in any case precede the maturation stage.

The minimum temperature limit for the smoking space has been removed as it is not a technological parameter that affects the outcomes of the production process and this makes it possible cover the temperatures at the end of the process as well, which may go below 18 °C, particularly during the cold winter months. In order to ensure the correct smoking and preservation of the product, the only important temperature limit to be observed is the maximum temperature of 30 °C.

Finally, the wording relating to the method of calculating the start of the drying stage has been corrected to remove the drafting error in the current product specification, which incorrectly states that the calculation of the drying stage begins 24 hours after drying actually starts.

The amendments described do not result in changes to the composition or description of the product.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘PITINA’

EU No: PGI-IT-02332-AM01 – 21.2.2022

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1. Name(s)

‘Pitina’

2. Member State or Third Country

Italy

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.2. Meat products (cooked, salted, smoked, etc.)

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

‘Pitina’ is made from a paste containing:

— a mainly lean part comprising meat from one of the following animal species: sheep, goat, roe deer, fallow deer, red deer or chamois,

— a mainly fat part comprising pork belly or shoulder.

It is hemispherical, with an external colour varying between golden yellow and yellow-brown;

when cut the colour varies between bright red and deep bordeaux, becoming darker towards the outer edge. The paste when cut is lean with a very fine grain. It tastes full-bodied and flavourful, with a characteristic smoky aroma.

When released for consumption ‘Pitina’ must have the following chemical and physical characteristics:

Moisture content: < 55 %

Salt < 5,3 %

Protein: < 38 %

Nitrates < 100 mg/kg

Nitrites < 25 mg/kg

It weighs between 100 g and 300 g.

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

— Raw material (meat): — The raw material for making ‘Pitina’ is meat from sheep or goats or from ungulate game, limited to roe deer, fallow deer, red deer or chamois for the mainly lean part, and from pork belly and/or shoulder for the mainly fat part. — The lean part must constitute meat from one single species from those listed above.

Seasoning:

This is a mixture of sea-salt or rock salt or a mixture of the two, along with pepper, garlic, wine and aromatic herbs; optionally, nitrites and nitrates are also used.

The following aromatic herbs are allowed: juniper, caraway or wild fennel, fennel seeds, musk milfoil.

Coating:

Maize flour

The raw material must have the following requirements:

(a) colour and characteristics of the meat: lean, red meat, no covering of fat, no micro-haemorrhages or haematoma;

(b) colour and characteristics of the pork belly and/or shoulder: red-pink lean meat and snow-white fat.

Mechanically-separated meat is not permitted.

The raw material must conform to the following percentages:

Minimum Maximum Lean part 70 % 90 % Fat part 10 % 30 %

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

All phases in the production of ‘Pitina’, from the removal of external fat from the raw material to the maturing of the product, take place in the geographical production area.

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

‘Pitina’ is sold whole, either vacuum-packed or packaged under a modified atmosphere. It may only be packaged in the production area and as part of the same production process. It is necessary to limit packaging in this way in order to guarantee the product’s specific characteristics. Unlike other matured products, the paste for ‘Pitina’ is not contained in a casing. The only ‘wrapping’ and protective agent is the maize flour present on the surface of the hemispherical ball of paste. Therefore, packaging the product during the production process avoids both the ‘Pitina’ losing its shape and becoming excessively hard due to being exposed to humidity and non-controlled temperatures.

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

All packaging must bear the product logo and the EU symbol. The Protected Geographical Indication ‘Pitina’ must appear on the label in clear and indelible lettering, clearly identifiable from any other wording on the label; this must be followed immediately by the words ‘Protected Geographical Indication’ and/or the abbreviation ‘PGI’.

The product logo is shown below:

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

‘Pitina’ is produced exclusively in the Province of Pordenone, in the municipalities of Andreis, Barcis, Cavasso Nuovo, Cimolais, Claut, Erto Casso, Frisanco, Maniago, Meduno, Montereale Valcellina, Tramonti di Sopra and Tramonti di Sotto.

5. Link with the geographical area

The specificity of ‘Pitina’ is based on the intrinsic properties and the originality of the product, which can be summed up in the unusual use of game, sheep or goat meat, not seen anywhere else in the Alps, and in preservation methods which, unlike other preparations based on meat, do not involve casings or a rind, but a thin layer of maize flour which, together with judicious smoking, allows the product to age and prevents it from drying out. ‘Pitina’ is produced in an area with distinctive eco-environmental conditions, which the Regional Meteorological Observatory (OSMER, 2011) has defined as ‘a pre-Alpine enclave with a separate climate profile marked by record annual average rainfall and the frequent mixing of air masses, together with the specificity of the mountainous landscape that hosts the “lowest permanent snowfield in the Alps”’. In geographical terms the production area for ‘Pitina’ is located in three valleys — Valcellina, Val Colvera and Val Tramontina — within the mountainous region above the Western Friuli high plains, between the Tagliamento and Piave rivers. Part of the area is within the Friuli Dolomites Natural Park. This region was historically blighted by poverty, emigration and a subsistence economy in which meat was a precious commodity and pig-farming was extremely rare. Animal proteins were provided by sheep and goats slaughtered when they reached the required age, or perhaps injured or killed in ravines or, occasionally, by ungulate game hunted, in most cases, by poachers. The need to preserve what little meat was available for as long as possible, particularly during the winter, led to the development of preservation techniques which, for that matter, are common to the entire Alpine region and to northern Europe, such as smoking meat and stabilising it with pork fat. In the case of ‘Pitina’, the leftover meat, more often the less popular cuts, was roughly cut up, the fat and tendons removed, and chopped on a board called a ‘pestadoria’ with a heavy knife called a ‘manarin’; the mass was formed into meatballs with the addition of salt, spices (sometimes soaked in wine) and wild fennel. The meatballs (‘pitine’) were then rolled in maize flour and smoked in the hearth (‘fogher’ or ‘fogolar’). A series of oral testimonies collected by local historians from 1978 onwards (in the degree thesis by Renata Ventorelli entitled ‘La cultura popolare di Andreis e la sua valle’ (Popular culture in Andreis and its valley), Urbino University, academic year 1981-1982) has led us to firmly believe that ‘Pitina’ was widely prepared and eaten in Val Tramontina and its neighbouring valleys in the early 1800s. It is also important to note the reference to ‘Pitina’ and its specific characteristics in the book ‘La valle del Colvera’ (Mazzoli, Maniago, 1973): ‘… Pitina was made from sheep and goat meat …’, as well as the more detailed description found in the book ‘Civiltà contadina del Friuli — architettura spontanea e lavoro a Navarons’ (Peasant life in Friuli — spontaneous architecture and work in Navarons) published in 1979: ‘Pitina is a rolled ball (eight centimetres in diameter and three centimetres thick) of sheep, ram, she-goat, he-goat or chamois meat. The meat is boned, the external fat having been removed, and ground in a machine or by hand, then seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic and a certain amount of fat is added. The paste is mixed well and rolled in maize flour. The balls are smoked over the embers of juniper wood. The “pitini” can be kept in a dry place for over a year’ (‘pitini’ is the author’s attempt at the plural of the name).

The tradition of ‘Pitina’ in Val Tramontina is mentioned in the V Comunità Montana ‘Tourist Guide’ of 1989: ‘… particular mention should be made of “pitina” … made of ram’s meat smoked with rare aromatic herbs and spices, added skilfully, according to an old, jealously-guarded family recipe’. The name ‘Pitina’ originates from Val Tramontina. The first people to produce it, according to historical evidence, were the villagers of Inglagna and Frasaneit, in the municipality of Tramonti di Sopra, and it is here that, from 1969 onwards, the Pro Loco association revived the local tradition by organising the Pitina Festival which has been held every July since then. Between 1997 and 2000 ‘Pitina’ was included in the Arcigola Slow Food’s first list of endangered products, a video was produced (Pieffe immagini, Maniago, 1999), and a ‘committee’ was set up to safeguard the tradition and the recipe. Almost at the same time the product was included in the first list of traditional products drawn up by the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region in accordance with Ministerial Decree 350/99.

Reference to publication of the product specification

The full text of the product specification is available on the following website: http://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/3335”

or alternatively:

by going directly to the home page of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy (www.politicheagricole.it) and clicking on ‘Qualità’ (at the top right of the screen), then on ‘Prodotti DOP IGP 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.