EN Official Journal of the European Union C 260/17

Publication of an amendment application 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

2014/C 260/14

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).

AMENDMENT APPLICATION

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs (2)

AMENDMENT APPLICATION ACCORDING TO ARTICLE 9

‘GARDA’

EC No: IT-PDO-0117-01142 – 06.08.2013

PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1. Heading in the product specification affected by the amendment

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— requirements have been added in order to ensure the product's origin and traceability;

— information has been added on the product's link to the geographical area which was previously absent from the specification but provided in the summary sheet.

2. Type of amendment

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3. Amendment(s):

Use of the designation ‘Garda’

The possibility has been introduced of using the single designation ‘Garda’ for all the oil obtained in the defined geographical area, thereby eliminating the requirement of using additional geographical references.

Description of product

The specification has been adapted to current Community legislation by introducing medians for the typical descriptors in accordance with the method provided for in Regulation (EC) No 796/2002 and removing the old method of analysis, which is no longer relevant. In order to make these descriptors comprehensible to consumers, the general organoleptic description of ‘Garda’ PDO oil has been added.

The total maximum acidity expressed in oleic acid has been harmonised at the more restrictive value of 0,5 % maximum for all the Garda oil; this value was previously required solely for Garda Trentino oil. The fact that this parameter is now uniform will encourage producers even more to make a further commitment to high-quality production.

The maximum peroxide value has been harmonised at a value of 14, a limit which was also previously laid down solely for Garda Trentino production.

The oleic acid value has been eliminated because it does not have any significant relevance to determining the quality of Garda oil; moreover, the results of analyses obtained in recent years have shown that the value of this parameter is not constant and is on average lower than in the past; this seems to be due to the the increase in average temperatures and to the sharp reduction in rainfall.

It has therefore been preferred not to maintain the requirement of a minimum value in the product specification.

Method of production

The oversight regarding the traditional designation ‘Frantoio’ appearing alongside the Casaliva variety, which was incorrectly omitted from the original 1996 application for Garda Orientale and included for Garda Bresciano and Trentino, has been corrected.

The fact that the designation Frantoio is also used as a traditional name for the olives together with or instead of Casaliva is also confirmed by the varietal lists for the municipalities on the Lake's eastern shore contained in documentation on olive growing from the 1980s.

For the same reason, the designation ‘Less’ or ‘Lezzo’, which are old synonyms for Leccino, also need to be corrected by replacing them with ‘Leccino’.

The correction of errors will make it possible to establish the following varietal mix for the single designation ‘Garda’, and for ‘Garda Orientale’ and ‘Garda Bresciano’: Casaliva, Frantoio and Leccino, accounting for at least 55 %; other varieties present in the olive groves, accounting for not more than 45 %, may also exist.

This correction does not change the real varietal mix of the olive groves given that it has always reflected the reality of olive production in the municipalities on the eastern shore of Lake Garda and does not give rise to differences in the oil produced, which maintains its uniformity for the entire Garda designation, with there being merely organoleptic differences that can be perceived ‘only by experts’, as the original 1996 document indicated.

Clarity has been established concerning yields, placing them clearly and definitively within the range of 5 000 to 6 000 kg/ha. The specification had in fact provided for the possibility of increasing olive production yields by 20 %, thus allowing for production to be increased to 6 000 kg/ha already from 1996.

Scientific and historical production data reveal that actual olive production around Lake Garda has achieved yields of up to 6 000 kg/ha and an oil yield of up to 25 %. Agronomic studies from the 1990s showed that irrigation and foliar-feeding techniques allowed higher yields of more than 6 000 kg/ha without any sign of a reduction in the quality of the oil.

Progressive studies on olive tree nutrition have shown that balanced feeding and above all irrigation, combined with rational pruning, allow plants to enter into production early, thereby increasing productivity by hectare and oil yields without impacting on quality.

Production notification procedures have been eliminated because they were based on obsolete regulations or because they are now managed by the inspection body

References to the suitability of olive groves in the various areas for the use of the respective additional geographical references have been eliminated because they are redundant given that their use is already regulated by the article concerning the production area.

References to proof of origin have been inserted into a dedicated article in the specification.

The possibility of oil extraction throughout the geographical area has been provided for with regard to the single ‘Garda’ designation.

Link

References to the link with the geographical environment comprising human and historical environmental factors which were not mentioned in the 1996 specification have been included in order to align it with the single document.

Labelling

Some of the labelling rules have been amended in order to make them clearer and more transparent for producers and consumers alike (character size).

The possibility of indicating the geographical location of olive groves on the label has been introduced in the event that the product is obtained solely from olives harvested from the said groves and if the additional geographical reference is indicated on the label.

Provision has been made for indicating the single ‘Garda’ designation on the label without any requirement to indicate one of the three additional traditional geographical references (Bresciano, Orientale or Trentino).

The possibility has also been introduced of depicting Lake Garda on the label.

Provision has been made for using metal containers suitable for the marketing of food products. This also improves product conservation.

The use of the designation's logo is now mandatory.

Contact details of the inspection bodies

Contact details of the inspection body have been introduced.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs (3)

‘GARDA’

EC No: IT-PDO-0117-01142 – 06.08.2013

PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1. Name

‘Garda’

2. Member State or Third Country

Italy

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.5. Oils and fats (butter, margarine, oils, etc.)

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

The ‘Garda’ protected designation of origin, which may optionally be accompanied by the additional geographical references ‘Bresciano’, ‘Orientale’ or ‘Trentino’, is reserved for extra virgin olive oil having the following characteristics:

— a green to yellow colour of varying intensity;

— a fairly or slightly fruity aroma;

— a fruity taste;

— sweet notes and a typical almond after-taste.

Chemical assessment:

— maximum acidity of 0,5 % (expressed as oleic acid);

— maximum peroxides: <= 14 Meq O2/kg;

Organoleptic assessment (IOC method)

Median interval

Min Max — Greenly/ripely fruity > 0 ≤ 6 — Almond > 0 ≤ 5 — Bitter > 0 ≤ 5 — Pungent > 0 ≤ 6

The median of defects in the organoleptic assessment must be zero.

Raw materials (for processed products only)

Extra virgin olive oil of the ‘Garda’ designation, which may be accompanied by the additional geographical references ‘Bresciano’, ‘Orientale’ or ‘Trentino’, is obtained from the following olive varieties to be found alone or in combination with each other in olive groves, with the following specifications:

— Casaliva, Frantoio and Leccino, accounting for at least 55 %, and other varieties that are also present in olive groves in a proportion not greater than 45 %, for the designations ‘Garda’, ‘Garda Bresciano’ and ‘Garda Orientale’;

— Casaliva, Frantoio, Leccino and Pendolino, accounting for at least 80 %, and other varieties that are also present in olive groves in a proportion not greater than 20 %, for the designation ‘Garda Trentino’.

3.3. Feed (for products of animal origin only)

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

All of the steps in the production process (growing and harvesting of olives and oil extraction) must take place in the identified geographical area.

3.5. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.

In order to maintain the product's specific characteristics throughout the production process and guarantee compliance with the quality requirements, ‘Garda’ oil has always had to be packaged within the area referred to in Article 4. Local producers know exactly how the oil behaves, e.g. filtration and settling times and methods and packaging temperature, in the pre-packaging and packaging phases; packaging in the area at the end of the production process also enables the organoleptic and other characteristics of the oil to be maintained since these would quickly deteriorate in contract with oxygen. Extra-virgin olive oil with the ‘Garda’ protected designation of origin must be marketed in glass or metal containers of a maximum capacity of 5 litres.

3.6. Specific rules concerning labelling

The label of the packaged product must indicate the following in clear, indelible letters that are larger than all other writing: ‘Garda’ and ‘Denominazione di Origine Protetta’ (‘Protected Denomination of Origin’) or its acronym ‘DOP’ (‘PDO’).

These words may be accompanied on the label with one of the additional geographical references ‘Bresciano’, ‘Trentino’ or ‘Orientale’, but only if the oil has been produced entirely from olives grown in the area in question and pressing and packaging have taken place in the same area.

The geographical location of olive groves may be indicated on the label if the product is obtained solely from olives harvested from the said groves and if the additional geographical reference is indicated on the label.

Names of holdings, estates or farms and their location may be given only if the product was produced exclusively from olives harvested in groves belonging to the holding, estate or farm in question.

It is prohibited to add qualifying adjectives such as ‘fine’ (‘fine’), ‘scelto’ (‘chosen’), ‘selezionato’ (‘selected’) or ‘superiore’ (‘superior’) to the ‘Garda’ protected designation of origin. Names, business names, brand names etc. can be used provided they have no laudatory purport and are not such as to mislead the consumer.

A depiction of Lake Garda is permitted.

The year of production of the olives from which the oil was made must be indicated on the label.

The use of the designation logo is mandatory.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The area of production of ‘Garda’ PDO oil is situated in the Provinces of Brescia, Verona, Mantova and Trento and includes land overlooking the Lake Garda basin.

5. Link with the geographical area

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area

Environmental factors

The Garda olive tree is grown in the valley surrounded by the morainic hills of glacial origin encircling Lake Garda and bordered to the north by the Alps. The exposed terrain towards the lake and to the south is almost entirely given over to olive groves and vineyards. Proximity to the mountains ensures a good distribution of rainfall throughout the year, and particularly in spring and autumn.

Generally speaking, the area's climate, strongly affected as it is by the presence of the large body of water of the Lake and the protection afforded by the mountains, is characterised by hot but not oppressive summers and relatively cold winters; it is mild enough to be defined as a ‘mild Mediterranean’ climate, with some local micro-climates. The production area of the Garda olive is in fact the most northerly region in the world where olive trees grow. The presence of the Lake reduces the variation in day and night-time temperatures.

Human and historical factors

The tradition of olive growing in the Garda area forms part of the local way of life and gastronomy and is a component of farm incomes, as has been described in numerous documents.

Historical evidence of man's savoir-faire in the Garda olive plantations dates back to the Renaissance, when human intervention helped define the characteristics of the agricultural and general landscape of Lake Garda. It was in that period that the slopes began to be redesigned with complex growing arrangements, becoming genuine terraces overlooking the Lake that were suited to olive growing. The area became famous for this typical landscape, and has been known since 1968 as the ‘Olive Riviera’.

In terms of human traditions, it is customary among consumers and producers to use one of the three additional geographical references ‘Bresciano’, ‘Orientale’ or ‘Trentino’ in order to better identify certain very important areas in terms of human and administrative tradition, as the original documents indicated.

Specificity of the product

Garda oil and the olives from which it is produced are characterised by less intense and more delicate flavours and aromas than those obtained in other, hotter olive-growing areas further south.

Consumers particularly appreciate the delicate, balanced and harmonious taste and the distinctive, slightly almond after-taste, which make the oil unique and easily distinguishable from other Italian PDO oils.

As a result of these unique characteristics, it is used in many recipes in which its delicate flavour does not overpower but rather enhances the taste of the dishes concerned. It is well-suited to fish, white meat, raw and cooked vegetables, pulses, fresh or semi-ripened cheeses, thinly-sliced raw meat (‘carpaccio’), ‘carne salada’ (a type of cured meat) and desserts.

5.2. Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI)

The presence of the mountains to the north and the largest lake in Italy make the climate similar to a Mediterranean climate and mitigate the environmental effects which, at this latitude, would be hostile to the development of olive growing. The even distribution of rainfall throughout the year protects the olives from water stress and prevents the formation of stagnant water which would be harmful to the trees and the quality of the oil.

The hilly terrain towards the lake and to the south heats up quickly at the end of the winter, thus allowing the fast recovery of the the olive trees' vegetative state. This terrain, together with the ‘mild Mediterranean’ weather conditions in the Garda area, enable less intense and more delicate flavours and aromas to be obtained in the region's olives and oil than in the typical environmental conditions of hotter regions further south. These climatic and environmental characteristics help give the oil its distinctive fairly or slightly fruity taste and the almond after-taste which makes it unique and easily distinguishable for consumers from other Italian PDO oils.

Moreover, in the various local areas around Lake Garda stretching from the plain to the mountains, specific micro-climates exist which, while maintaining the uniformity of the oil's particular characteristics for the entire Garda designation, allow organoleptic differences to emerge which only experts are able to perceive.

The savoir-faire of producers at all stages in the production process, from the preparation of land (including traditional terracing) to olive growing and subsequent packaging, allows the specificity of the product, i.e. its sweetness and typical almond after-taste, to be maintained and protected.

Reference to publication of the specification

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (4))

This Ministry launched the national opposition procedure by publishing the proposal for amending the ‘Garda’ PDO in the Official Gazette of the Italian Republic No 135 of 11 June 2013.

The consolidated 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 direct to the home page of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy (www.politicheagricole.it) and clicking on ‘Qualità e sicurezza’ (at the top right of the screen), and then on ‘Disciplinari di Produzione all'esame dell'UE’.

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

(2) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12. Replaced by Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

(3) See footnote 2.

(4) See footnote 2.