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

(2019/C 402/11)

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

‘CAPPERO DELLE ISOLE EOLIE’

EU No: PDO-IT-02395 – 15.3.2018

PDO (X) PGI ( )

1. Name

‘Cappero delle Isole Eolie’

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 product to which the name in 1 applies

The Protected Designation of Origin ‘Cappero delle Isole Eolie’ refers to the ‘capers’, i.e. the flower buds, and ‘caper berries’, i.e. the fruit, of the botanical species Capparis spinosa, subsp. spinosa and subsp. inermis, including the biotypes Nocellara, Nocella and Spinoso di Salina, which are released for consumption ‘with sea salt’ or ‘in brine’.

When released for consumption, capers and caper berries with the ‘Cappero delle Isole Eolie’ PDO must have the following characteristics:

— Firm texture;

— Spherical or slightly flattened in shape with a pronounced apex;

— Glabrous surface;

— Green to mustard-coloured with purple streaks;

— Free of any visible foreign matter;

— Not smaller than 4 mm in the case of capers;

— Not larger than 20 mm in the case of caper berries;

— Taste: intense and pungent;

— Aroma: aromatic, strong, with no trace of mould or foreign odours;

— Resistance to handling;

— Oleic acid content of not less than 6 %.

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

Sea salt is added in its natural form and in varying proportions to ‘Cappero delle Isole Eolie’ with sea salt and in aqueous solution (25 kg of sea salt dissolved in 75 litres of water) to ‘Cappero delle Isole Eolie’ in brine.

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

The ‘Cappero delle Isole Eolie’ must be harvested, ripened (in brine or with sea salt) and selected in the defined area.

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

When released for consumption, capers and caper berries with the ‘Cappero delle Isole Eolie’ PDO must be packaged, within the identified area, as follows:

a) ‘with sea salt’ in containers of various sizes and materials

b) ‘in brine’ in containers of various sizes and materials

The ‘Cappero delle Isole Eolie’ must be packaged in the defined production area in order to ensure that the characteristics of the product are maintained. During packaging, the product is taken from the ripening containers and packaged while adding the correct amounts of salt or brine, as appropriate. The salt or brine is added by local operators. The right quantity of salt and correct salt concentration are crucial in ensuring that the product packaged for consumers has the characteristics of the product. Any processing errors at this stage would give rise to the activation of cell degradation processes which would impair the firmness of the product and adversely affect its specific quality.

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

In addition to the information and the EU logo that must feature on the packaging under the legislation in force, the logo of the ‘Cappero delle Isole Eolie’ must also appear, as shown below. The label may bear the name of the island where the product is produced and the name of the producer.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area where the product with the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) ‘Cappero delle Isole Eolie’ is produced and packaged comprises the entire administrative territory of the municipality of Lipari, including the islands of Lipari, Vulcano, Filicudi, Alicudi, Panarea and Stromboli, and the municipalities of Santa Marina Salina, Malfa and Leni on the island of Salina, in the province of Messina.

5. Link with the geographical area

The specific nature of the ‘Cappero delle Isole Eolie’ is linked to the combination of natural factors such as climate, moisture content of soil and land, and the human factors that have shaped the operational and production methods of caper-growing in the Aeolian Islands.

The area in which the ‘Cappero delle Isole Eolie’ is grown is completely distinct from caper-growing areas elsewhere in the region. The capers grow and mature in soils of volcanic origin which are excellent for farming due to their high mineral content and texture.

The volcanic soils of the Aeolian islands, which are characterised by a light texture with a high content of pumice, sand and often stones, allow air and water to move freely and are an ideal substrate for the assimilation of nutrients and water.

The wealth of rapidly assimilable macro and micro elements in the soil helps boost the yields of the caper plants, while the presence of calcium gives the tissues greater structural resistance, particularly the cell walls and membranes, making both the flower buds (capers) and the fruit (caper berries) firm and compact.

The environmental conditions of particularly high humidity (with summer values around 50 % during warmer and sunny daytime hours, and extremely high values at night in excess of 90 %), due to the micro-insular nature of the production area, give rise to a frequent phenomenon of ‘hidden rainfall’.

This phenomenon provides the plant, which is dry-cultivated, with a significant additional source of water, in the form of dew, which is essential to channel the micro and macro nutrients found in the soil and to allow optimal development of the plant without water stress.

The absence of water stress and the correct absorption by the plant of micro and macro nutrients, in particular waterborne calcium, give the cell membranes greater structural resistance, imparting a particular firmness to both the flower buds (capers) and fruit (caper berries) grown on the Aeolian Islands, which are therefore particularly resistant to processing.

In addition, a comparative chemical analysis has shown oleic acid content of more than 90 %, due to the influence of numerous soil- and climate-related factors; in sensory terms, this gives the ‘Cappero delle Isole Eolie’ its intense and pungent taste.

Another characteristic of the ‘Cappero delle Isole Eolie’ is the presence of a purplish strip, obtained from plant selection by the Aeolian farmers.

Human intervention has contributed to the selection of the unique caper cultivars that are typical of the area. Continuous plant selection and constant plant reproduction using cuttings have made it possible to establish this typical characteristic, which is not to be found in capers of a different origin.

The cuttings are skilfully picked by the expert hands of the Aeolians and are taken exclusively from mother plants which the farmers have cultivated over the years.

These mother plants, which have been perpetuated over the centuries through propagation by cuttings and have adapted over the years to the defined area’s favourable microclimate and soil conditions, are now a virtually limitless source of cuttings that can be sold, at the time of pruning, to those wishing to start growing capers.

The source of the plant propagating material is therefore one of the main aspects to be respected when producing the ‘Cappero delle Isole Eolie’.

The combination of soil and climate conditions that cannot be found elsewhere and the traditional method of cultivation of the ‘Cappero delle Isole Eolie’ constitute a causal and inextricable link between the geographical area and the characteristics of the product.

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 via the following link:

https://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/c%252F3%252Fa%252FD.85d4f26b54355e413d8d/P/BLOB%3AID%3D3335/E/pdf

or directly on the home page of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food, Forestry and Tourism Policy (www.politicheagricole.it), click on ‘Qualità’, then ‘Prodotti DOP IGP e STG’ (on the left-hand side of the screen) and finally ‘Disciplinari di Produzione all’esame dell’UE’.

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