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 254/06)

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

‘RUCOLA DELLA PIANA DEL SELE’

EU No: PGI-IT-02436 – 20.9.2018

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1. Name(s)

‘Rucola della Piana del Sele’

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 name ‘Rucola della Piana del Sele’ PGI refers to rocket leaves of the species Diplotaxis tenuifolia (L.) DC (family: Brassicaceae) – known by the common name ‘perennial wall-rocket’ – grown in the area defined in point 4.

The product is placed on the market fresh or ready to eat.

‘Rucola della Piana del Sele’ PGI must have the following characteristics at the time of harvest:

Leaves: 2–5 cm across by 8–25 cm long and either pinnatifid, pinnatisect or pinnatilobate, with closely grouped denticulate lobes of up to 4 cm long (denticulation can sometimes be significantly reduced or absent entirely). The leaves are glabrous (with almost no pubescence), opaque and somewhat glaucous. The apex segment of each leaf is an elongated three-lobed shape. Any upper leaves are in narrow segments.

The leaves of rocket must be free of damage and visible foreign matter, and have a fresh, clean appearance with no foreign smell or taste. They must not be suffering from any parasites, and any damage caused by previous parasite infestations must be limited to 10 % or less.

Essential characteristics:

Particularly intense and penetrating spicy and sharp aroma;

Clearly perceptible crispy texture of the leaves;

Distinctive strong flavour meaning that you can enjoy it without salting.

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

All the stages in production from cultivation to harvesting must take place in the area described in point 4.

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

‘Rucola della Piana del Sele’ PGI must be packaged in mesh bags or in containers such as trays, packets, tubs or crates. Modified atmospheres are optional. Packaging may be made from plastic, wood, cardboard, or any other material that the law deems suitable for use with foodstuffs.

All packaging must be sealed so that the product cannot be removed without tearing it open. The product may not be sold loose.

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

In addition to the information required by law, the label on the packaging must also contain:

— the European PGI logo,

— the ‘Rucola della Piana del Sele’ PGI logo, which must not be smaller than any of the other markings used on the same packaging,

— the name and address, or business name and registered office, of the individual producer and/or producer association and/or packaging plant, and

— the net weight at source.

It is forbidden to add any other description that is not expressly provided for. References to names, business names or private brands may, however, be used, provided these have no laudatory purport and are not such as to mislead the consumer. Other truthful and verifiable references that are permitted under EU, national or regional legislation may also be used, provided that they do not conflict with the purpose and content of the product specification.

Logo

This is the PGI’s logo:

It is a circular design containing a picture of a green (Pantone 7730 C) rocket leaf, partially edged in light blue (Pantone 3005 C) to represent the River Sele and Mediterranean Sea. At the bottom there is a blue (Pantone 3005 C) circle containing the letters IGP [‘PGI’].

The words ‘RUCOLA della Piana del Sele’ appear in the centre of the logo. The fonts used are Alice Regular, Info Text Book and Info Text Semibold Roman.

The logo may be resized to adapt to different uses, respecting a 1:1 ratio and ensuring minimum dimensions of 1 cm per side.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The production area of ‘Rucola della Piana del Sele’ PGI comprises the administrative territory of the following municipalities within the province of Salerno: Battipaglia, Bellizzi, Eboli, Pontecagnano Faiano, Giffoni Valle Piana, Montecorvino Pugliano, Montecorvino Rovella and Capaccio Paestum.

5. Link with the geographical area

The application for registration of ‘Rucola della Piana del Sele’ PGI is based on the product’s intense, spicy and sharp aroma, the characteristic crispy texture of the leaves and their distinctive strong flavour (meaning that you can even enjoy them without salting), and on the fact that the product has become renowned on the markets.

These specific characteristics of ‘Rucola della Piana del Sele’ PGI are the direct result of the environment in which it is grown, which is completely distinctive as regards both the soil and the climate.

The farmland on which ‘Rucola della Piana del Sele’ PGI is grown comprises a thick surface layer of volcanic and alluvial soil. The volcanic element is due to past eruptions of Mount Vesuvius, while the River Sele and other surface waterways provide the alluvial component.

The resulting soil is very rich in macro- and micro-elements, especially potassium, calcium and iron which play a role in the biological processes giving the product its characteristic aroma, texture and flavour.

As regards the climate, the area in which ‘Rucola della Piana del Sele’ PGI is grown contributes substantially to determining the product’s specific characteristics, in synergy with the soil characteristics mentioned above. This allows the crop to be grown in the best conditions for its development and growth and minimises the risk of harmful water and thermal stress.

The distinctiveness of the area’s climate is important and is influenced by both the temperature-regulating role of the Tyrrhenian Sea on the its west coast and that of the Alburni mountain range in the north-east, which not only protects it from the cold arriving from the Balkans but also allows the rains coming in from the west to be collected in natural underground reservoirs, benefiting the crops.

In the Piana del Sele plain, the cultivation of rocket was already widespread in the Middle Ages, as shown by the Opere mediche, attributable to the ‘Salerno Medical School’ and, in particular, the work of Constantino Africano (1025–1087), a Carthaginian doctor and the author of the work Particulares Dietae, who came to Salerno in 1077. But it was only in the late 1980s, in view of the major economic prospects offered by Italy’s budding ready-to-eat agricultural produce sector, that farmers in the area gradually started to turn to growing salad vegetables – rocket in particular – for the fresh and ready-to-eat markets, with ever-increasing interest, care and skill.

Soon, as numerous oral and written testimonies from farmers and local traders show, rocket became widely established as a distinctive local high-quality crop in the area. At the same time, the name ‘Rucola della Piana del Sele’ entered common use to denote a product with a particular aroma and flavour which, because of its characteristic texture, is best suited to sale in ready-to-eat forms.

Precisely because of the product’s specific characteristics, major northern Italian producers have begun choosing to relocate an increasing share of their own supply area to the Piana di Sele plain, and local farmers have increasingly taken up the cultivation of rocket, a crop in which they have become highly specialised.

Some of the older local producers still have billing documents dating back to 1993, showing that the name ‘Rucola della Piana del Sele’ was already in use back then. It is now in common use in the commercial documentation of many farmers and traders in the region.

Since then, the name ‘Rucola della Piana del Sele’ has entered widespread use. This is due in part to the numerous local events (Sagra della pizza con la Rucola della Piana del Sele, the first edition of which took place from 5 to 14 August 1994 and the 13th edition from 2 to 4 August 2007) and conferences (Presente e futuro nella coltivazione della Rucola nella Piana del Sele – 17 September 2001; La Rucola della Piana del Sele verso l’IGP – 1 March 2013) held in the area to emphasise the crop’s increasing presence, fine-tune farming techniques and showcase the high quality of a product that is becoming increasingly well known.

Moreover, the following publications are dedicated to ‘Rucola della Piana del Sele’:

— Eruca/Rucola nella piana del Sele (Belinda Villanova, published by Consorzio di Bonifica in Destra del fiume Sele, 2018),

— La Piana del Sele – La Terra e i Contadini contains an entire chapter entitled ‘Gli anni del boom economico e la riscoperta della rucola nella Piana del Sele’ which is dedicated to the cultivation of ‘Rucola della Piana del Sele’ (Belinda Villanova, published by Federazione Coltivatori Diretti di Salerno, 2003),

— Ricette con la Rucola della Piana del Sele (Belinda Villanova, published by Federazione Coltivatori Diretti di Salerno).

‘Rucola della Piana del Sele’ is also mentioned in scientific articles, namely:

— The article ‘Nutrizione razionale, un ‘comandamento’ per la rucola’, published in the magazine Informatore Agrario No 24-25/2019, mentions the Piana del Sele as the main area where rocket is grown.

— The article ‘Rucola per IV gamma: aspetti produttivi e nutrizionali’, published in the magazine Informatore Agrario No 37/2016, provides information on a study comparing wild and cultivated rocket. ‘Rucola della Piana del Sele’ was among the samples used for the study of cultivated rocket.

— The article ‘Quarta gamma e Baby leaf nella piana del Sele – Torzella, rucola e crescione sempre più richiesti in Europa’, published in the magazine ARPA Campania Ambiente No 54 of 15 October 2012.

— The article ‘Interventi di ricerca per l’innovazione della filiera della Rucola nella Piana del Sele’, published in the magazine Dal seme (CREA, volume IX – June 2016, No 2, p. 11), states ‘The cultivation of perennial wall-rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia (L.) DC) in Italy is a rapidly growing sector. The Piana del Sele (province of Salerno) in particular is the main production area in the country and one of the main reference points in the European market’.

The television programme ‘La Linea Verde Orizzonti’, broadcast on the Rai Uno channel on Saturday 8 February 2014, referred to ‘Rucola della Piana del Sele’ as ‘green gold from the Piana del Sele’.

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 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, Forestry and Tourism 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.