Publication of an application for registration pursuant to Article 6(2) of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin

(2003/C 153/04)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Articles 7 and 12(d) of the abovementioned Regulation. Any objection to this application must be submitted via the competent authority in a Member State, in a WTO member country or in a third country recognised in accordance with Article 12(3) within a time limit of six months from the date of this publication. The arguments for publication are set out below, in particular under 4.6, and are considered to justify the application within the meaning of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92.

COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 2081/92

APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION: ARTICLE 5

PDO ( ) PGI (x)

National application No: 01/2002

1. Responsible department in the Member State: Name: Ministero delle Politiche Agricole e Forestali

Address: Via XX Settembre, 20, I-00187 Roma

Tel. (39-06) 481 99 68

Fax (39-06) 42 01 31 26

E-mail: qualita@politicheagricole.it

2. Applicant group: 2.1. Name: Cooperativa Paestum

2.2. Address: Via Spinazzo, I-84063 Paestum Salerno

Tel. (39-0828) 72 10 04

2.3. Composition: producer/processor (x) other ( )

3. Type of product: Class 1.6, fresh or processed fruit, vegetables and cereals - Cynara scolimus L. "Carciofo Romanesco", biotype Tondo di Paestum

4. Specification:

(Summary of requirements under Article 4(2)):

4.1. Name: Carciofo di Paestum

4.2. Description: The Carciofo di Paestum Protected Geographical Indication covers heads of biotypes of the Romanesco artichoke, also known as Tondo di Paestum.

The product has the following characteristics:

- medium-sized (no more than four heads with stalk per kilogram),

- subspherical, compact heads with a characteristic hollow at the apex; with a maximum transverse diameter of between 8,5 and 10,5 cm, a maximum longitudinal diameter of between 7,5 and 12,5 cm and a relationship between the two of between 0,9 and 1,2,

- green colour with pink/violet shading,

- oval external bracts, well-defined, rounded apex without prickles,

- straw coloured/greenish internal bracts with purple shading,

- stalks less than 10 cm long.

4.3. Geographical area: The production area of Carciofo di Paestum covered by this specification covers part of the territory of the following municipalities in the Province of Salerno: Agropoli, Albanella, Altavilla Silentina, Battipaglia, Bellizzi, Campagna, Capaccio, Cicerale, Eboli, Giungano, Montecorvino Pugliano, Ogliastro Cilento, Pontecagnano Faiano and Serre. The area is defined in detail in the product specification.

4.4. Proof of origin: Artichoke production began to spread in the Sele valley at the end of the 1920s following a vast programme of land improvement and profound changes in the agricultural sector brought about by land reform. Evidence for the presence of artichokes on the Sele plain can be found in the statistics of the Kingdom of Naples as early as 1811 (Cassese, 1955) and in 1949 in Migliorini's notes on economic geography. The most detailed description of the spread, importance and the potential of artichoke production on the Sele plain is that produced by Bruni in 1960, which refers to the production of the Castellammare variety, subsequently cited by other authors as a synonym for the new Carciofo Tondo di Paestum. The first to grow this type of artichoke were farmers who came to the region from the area around Naples and planted "carducci" (artichoke cuttings) in the fields beside the famous Temples of Paestum.

By 1929, 818 ha were planted with artichokes in Campania, yielding 8056600 kg at an average of 9850 kg/ha.

Following the Second World War, production increased substantially and during the five years from 1962 to 1966 the average area down to artichokes rose to 2782 ha, thanks to the increase in the area devoted to Carciofo di Paestum.

In 1997, Jannacone wrote that:

"In Campania, almost all artichoke production has moved from holdings in the traditional farming areas to new areas, particularly on the Sele plain. A total of 2300 ha is currently devoted to artichoke production, 80 % of which is on the Sele plain."

The artichoke is today one of the most important crops in the area, among other things because of the reputation it has won. Therefore, in order to prevent imitations and misuse of the name, product traceability will be guaranteed by a register of the parcels cultivated, producers and production, monitored by an appropriate body.

4.5. Method of production: Before planting, the soil must be prepared carefully. This involves deep ploughing, digging in fertiliser and/or organic material, harrowing once or twice and levelling off the surface.

Transplanting takes place between 15 July and 31 August using balled seedlings grown in seed cells, from the grower's own or specialised nurseries, or between 1 September and 30 September using carducci taken directly from the mother plants.

Artichoke fields are kept in production for no more than three years.

The cultivation methods must be those generally used in the area, with seedlings planted in lines 110-120 cm apart, with 80-90 cm between plants, equivalent to a maximum of 10000 plants per hectare.

Harvesting takes place between 1 February and 20 May.

Maximum production of Carciofo di Paestum is 50000 heads per hectare.

Sorting, grading and washing, using traditional local methods, must be carried out at facilities located throughout the municipalities in the Carciofo di Paestum production area.

Where they are not to be marketed immediately, artichokes may be stored on suitable premises, where appropriate at a controlled temperature of a maximum of 4 °C, for not more than 72 hours.

4.6. Link: The area's climatic conditions, typically Mediterranean with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers, and its deep, fertile soils, created by alluvial deposits from the Sele, have fostered artichoke growing since time immemorial. In more recent times, artichokes have become an important cash crop, resulting in a significant increase in the area cultivated and a considerable degree of specialisation by local producers.

Carciofo di Paestum is distinguished from other artichokes by its typical quality and characteristics (large size, subspherical shape, pleasant taste), the fruit of careful growing methods perfected by the farmers of the Sele plain. It is a local type of the Romanesco group of artichokes, but a series of special characteristics conferred by the environment in which it grows distinguish it from other members of the group. Of these, the most important is the fact that Carciofo di Paestum matures early and can therefore be marketed as early as February, before any other type of Romanesco artichoke. Maturing early in the cool and rainy period from February to May makes the heads more tender and delicate, particularly at the base of the bracts and in the bud, which is also more fleshy and tasty, important characteristics for the range of culinary uses to which the artichoke is put. The artichoke's characteristics remain almost unchanged from one productive cycle to the next because growers have developed a series of crop-management techniques to compensate for any climatic variations between growing years.

4.7. Inspection body Name: IS.ME.CERT.

Address: Head Office, c/o ERSAC

Via del Parco M.C. di Savoia

I-80122 Napoli.

4.8. Labelling: The rules for the release for consumption of Carciofo di Paestum are as follows:

- the product must be placed on sale in suitable rigid containers holding between two and 24 heads,

- on the packaging, marked with "I.G.P." (PGI), or on labels on that packaging must appear the following in clear, legible capitals of uniform dimensions:

(a) Carciofo di Paestum and Indicazione Geografica Protetta (or the initials I.G.P.);

(b) the name, company name and address of the packager and/or grower;

(c) the quantity of product contained in the package, expressed in accordance with the relevant rules.

The wording referred to under (b) must be in smaller characters than that referred to under (a);

(d) the specific and unambiguous logo given in Annex B, which must always be used with the protected geographical indication.

Products prepared exclusively from Carciofo di Paestum PGI, including after processing, may be marketed in packaging bearing a reference to Carciofo di Paestum PGI, but without the Community logo, provided that:

- Carciofo di Paestum PGI, certified as such, is the only type of artichoke contained in the product,

- users of Carciofo di Paestum PGI are authorised by the holders of the intellectual property right conferred by registration of the name Carciofo di Paestum PGI, organised in an association for the protection of the PGI recognised by the Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Policy. The recognised association will also enter the users in special registers and monitor the correct use of the protected name. In the absence of a recognised association, the above tasks will be carried out by the Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Policy as the national authority responsible for implementing Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92.

Where Carciofo di Paestum PGI is used along with other artichokes, under the relevant rules it may only be mentioned among the ingredients of the product containing it or into which it is processed.

It is prohibited to use with the protected geographical indication referred to in Article 1 any description other than is expressly laid down in this specification, including adjectives such as tipo (type), gusto (taste), uso (use), selezionato (selected), scelto (choice) or similar descriptions.

Reference may however be made to undertakings, names, company names, brand names and associations provided that laudatory wordings that could mislead the consumer are not used.

Such references may appear on the packaging in characters no more than half the height and width of those used to indicate the protected geographical indication.

Logo: The logo for Carciofo di Paestum PGI, within the meaning of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92, is designed to recall the close link between the artichoke and the locality (the area around the Temples of Paestum) in which it was first grown. The logo shows the Temple of Poseidon at Paestum against a blue sky (cyan 80 % and magenta 25 %) with clouds in the background and small clumps of vegetation, the colour of which varies from a mix of cyan (40 %), magenta (40 %), yellow (70 %) and black (40 %) to a mix of magenta (30 %) and black (25 %).

The Temple of Poseidon is in an oval frame with a border composed of two lines (black for the inner line and Pantone Green CVP for the outer line). The double line is interrupted at a point 3/4 from the top of the oval by the words Carciofo di Paestum in black "Times" lettering.

In the lower central part of the picture of the temple is a white oval showing a Carciofo di Paestum, the stalk of which is broken by the outer border in Pantone Green CPV.

Both images (the Temple of Poseidon and the Carciofo di Paestum) were created by superimposing four colours (four-colour process), the basic colours being cyan, magenta, yellow and black.

The above colours are printed on a white background.

4.9. National requirements: -

EC No:: G/IT/00226/02.02.11.

Date of receipt of the full application:: 21 March 2003.