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

(2021/C 194/06)

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

‘SZEGEDI TÜKÖRPONTY’

EU No: PGI-HU-02491 –6. 3.2019

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1. Name(s)

‘Szegedi tükörponty’

2. Member State or Third Country

Hungary

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.7: Fresh fish, molluscs, and crustaceans and products derived therefrom

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

The geographical indication ‘Szegedi tükörponty’ refers to farmed live fish of the State-recognised carp species Szeged mirror carp and its cleaned, filleted flesh.

The fish is greenish-brown in colour, with a yellow belly and reflective cycloid scales. Its lateral line is regular, with a high back. The ratio between body length and height (profile index) is 2,3-2,4. The fish are sold when they reach their third summer after hatching, at a weight of between 1 800 and 2 400 g.

‘Szegedi tükörponty’ has flaky, reddish, flavoursome flesh, with a fresh aroma and no side-tastes. It is high in protein (more than 19%) and low in fat (less than 10 %).

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

The fish’s main food source are the natural organisms found in the ponds (plankton, worms and insect larvae). Other feed (feedingstuffs, maize, wheat) with a starch content of 2,5-3,0 per kg of body weight is used to supplement the natural food supply according to the age of the fish. The feed must be free of GMOs.

The fish are fed according to their appetite until the end of June. From then on the feed use per pond is decided on the basis of a trial fishing assessment.

The supplementary feed used (grain feed, commercial concentrate and compound feed and feedingstuffs) are not available within the defined geographical area and are therefore sourced from outside the area.

In addition to their natural sources of food, the fish in different age classes are fed throughout the year as follows:

— broodfish: plain wheat and maize throughout the year, protein-rich fish feed before propagation;

— early fry: early fry feed;

— fingerlings: fingerling feed, finishing with broken wheat or broken maize;

— two-summer fish: broken wheat, broken maize and whole wheat and maize grains;

— market-ready (three-summer) fish: good-quality wheat and maize grains.

Depending on the weather, broodfish in winter ponds or storage ponds (mainly juveniles) are given small quantities of maize or wheat grains in winter.

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

All stages of the production of ‘Szegedi tükörponty’ (breeding, propagation and rearing) must take place in the geographical area defined in point 4.

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

—

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

—

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The Szeged administrative area north of the M43, between the M5 motorway and the road ‘Irma majori út’ in Sándorfalva, as well as the Sándorfalva peripheral zone; a system of ponds with circular embankments consisting of 141 individual ponds located on the land along the right-hand and left-hand banks of sections 1+120 and 11+120 of the Algyő main canal.

5. Link with the geographical area

The product’s link with the geographical area is based on the quality of the product.

Situated to the north of Szeged, near Hungary’s southern border, Lake Fehér was formed over the course of centuries, as the natural catchment basin of the South Great Plain with its saline soil filled with water during times of flooding.

The minerals mixed together and accumulated over centuries of flooding affected the original soil beneath the lake to such an extent that areas that dried up during the summer turned white from the salts left behind. A system of fish ponds consisting of a total of 141 ponds and covering more than 2 000 hectares was constructed on the original soil on impermeable ground rich in sodium carbonate, using embankments. The lake water has a pH of more than 8.

Construction of the Fehértó enclosed fish ponds system was started in 1932 and completed in 1960. The ‘Új halastó’ (new fish pond) facility came into operation in 1982. This resulted in the creation of the fish farm’s system of 141 contiguous fish ponds covering more than 2 000 ha and forming part of a single body of water and water-supply system.

The area has its own microclimate. The large body of water withstands minor weather events. Cold air flowing in with large weather fronts and heavy waves can cool the waters of the ponds by 4-5 °C during a single day. There are on average 32 days per year when temperatures rise above 30 °C, and 89 summer days when temperatures reach 25 °C, while there are more than 2 100 hours of sunshine. One benefit of the climate is that the fish can be moved outside by mid-March and can be fed early, the autumn is long and the ice on the fish ponds often melts in winter.

The water quality of the fish ponds is ensured by the fact the water is supplied via a double pumping system from the Algyő main canal, which is fed partly by groundwater and partly by the river Tisza.

Decades of research taking into account environmental conditions and fish farming methods have resulted in the cultivation of a genetically resistant fish variety that is low in fat, well adapted to the local conditions and has been granted State recognition. The fish are farmed using technology tailored to different age groups.

The production technology used for fingerlings, two-summer broodfish and three-summer market-ready fish has been developed and consistently applied taking into account the saline production environment.

The fact that the fish ponds are built on saline soil ensures excellent oxygen supply, so there is no opportunity for substances detrimental to flavour to accumulate in the fish’s body. The alkaline water of the ponds gives the fish a particular vitality and resilience. The flaky, reddish, flavoursome flesh of the fish farmed in these ponds, and its fresh aroma with no side-tastes, can be directly attributed to these characteristics.

Larvae are produced by the artificial fertilisation in test tubes of eggs taken from the female stock population. During the first year, fingerlings are reared in small ponds measuring a few hectares, and the naturally available food must be supplemented with fingerling feed. The feeding of fingerlings is broken down into several stages, with feeding adjusted to the energy needs of the age group during the early and late rearing stages. During the early rearing stage, fingerlings must be given feed with a high-protein content (25-30 %). As they grow, this is changed to a feed with 20-25 % protein, before finishing the late rearing stage with a feed with a protein content of 20 %.

The main source of food for two-summer and three-summer fish is the food found naturally in the water (plankton, insect larvae and worms). The use of organic fertiliser helps to ensure the quantity of natural food in the ponds. The ready availability of natural sources of nutrition promotes the development of muscle structure and the high protein content of the fish. Fingerlings are given feed, while two-summer and three-summer fish are fed broken or whole wheat and maize grains to meet their energy needs.

Fish are fed according to their appetite until the end of June, and from then on the quantity of feed to be used is determined on the basis of a trial fishing analysis. This method makes it possible to rear fish with a low fat content.

The quality and flavour of the farmed fish are directly influenced by the good oxygen supply at the lake bed in the fish ponds created on saline soil, so there is no opportunity for substances detrimental to flavour to accumulate in the fish’s body.

‘Szegedi tükörponty’ has flaky, reddish, flavoursome flesh, with a fresh aroma and no side-tastes. It is high in protein (more than 19 %) and low in fat (less than 10 %). These special qualities are attributable to the individually bred variety and to the environmental conditions and farming methods (the location of the fish ponds on saline land and the feed used).

The flesh of ‘Szegedi tükörponty’ is high in protein, low in fat and very flavoursome. These qualities help to encourage the consumption of fish.

Filleted ‘Szegedi tükörponty’ is very popular with the hospitality sector and consumers,

Reference to publication of the product specification

(the second subparagraph of Article 6(1) of this Regulation)

http://gi.kormany.hu/foldrajzi-arujelzok

(1) OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.