EN Official Journal of the European Union C 156/10

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

(2015/C 156/07)

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).

APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE PRODUCT SPECIFICATION OF PROTECTED DESIGNATIONS OF ORIGIN/PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS WHICH IS NOT MINOR

Application for approval of an amendment in accordance with the first subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012

‘LAGUIOLE’

EU No: FR-PDO-0317-01271 — 30.10.2014

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

1. Applicant group and legitimate interest

Syndicat de défense et de gestion du Fromage de Laguiole Route de Chaudes-Aigues 12210 Laguiole FRANCE Tel. +33 565444751 Fax +33 565444757 E-mail: contact@fromagedelaguiole.fr

The group comprises producers and processors of ‘Laguiole’ and is, therefore, the correct group to propose the amendment.

2. Member State or Third Country

France

3. Heading in the product specification affected by the amendment(s)

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4. Type of amendment(s)

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5. Amendment(s)

Heading ‘Description of product’

— It has been specified that ‘Laguiole’ is a cheese with a ‘dry rind’, on the basis of the national text for the previous specification registered. For clarity's sake, the minimum fat and dry matter contents have been expressed in grams per 100 grams of cheese instead of in percentages.

— The description of ‘Laguiole’ as having the shape of a cylinder ‘of approximately 40 centimetres’ and ‘30 to 40 centimetres in height’ has been replaced by specifying that the diameter is 30 to 40 centimetres, in keeping with the chapter entitled ‘Description’ in the published summary. Furthermore, a height to diameter ratio ranging between 0,8 and 1 has been defined, and this has replaced the provision stating that the height is equal to or slightly greater than the diameter. This amendment takes into account the size of the cheeses after ripening, while the previous specification was based on the size measured when the cheeses are placed in the cellar. The height of the cheeses tends to decrease slightly as the ripening period progresses (a phenomenon called ‘compression’). This phenomenon can also be explained by an increase in the average ripening periods of the cheeses and by the development of farm-produced cheeses, whose sizes vary more than those of cheeses produced in a dairy. Reducing the minimum weight of the cheese from 25 to 20 kg is more consistent with the minimum diameter of 28 cm for the mould, while complying with the height to diameter ratio. The development of farm-produced cheeses is another explanatory factor, because the sizes of such cheeses are more variable, depending on the amount of milk used by the operators.

— The colour of the paste has been specified: ‘ivory to straw yellow in colour’. This shade is linked to the seasonal variation in the composition of the product. The reference to the minimum thickness of the rind has been removed, because it is not a distinguishing feature of the product. Furthermore, the description of the rind's colour has been amended (the colour ‘light grey’ has replaced ‘light orange’ and the colour ‘granite grey’ has been added to supplement ‘amber brown’) in order to take account of farm-produced cheeses whose rinds are obtained naturally in the cellar. Such details are useful for the organoleptic examination of the product during inspection.

— An organoleptic description of the product has been added. This description is useful for the organoleptic examination of the product during inspection.

— In the case of individual, pre-packaged pieces of ‘Laguiole’ weighing less than 70 grams, an exception has been introduced to the requirement that each piece must have part of the rind, as it is difficult to keep the rind on small pieces to be used in cooking.

Heading ‘Proof of origin’

— Cheesemakers' obligations as regards declarations have been laid down. Specifically, provision has been made to identify cheesemakers with a view to awarding certificates recognising their ability to meet the requirements of the specification for the designation from which they wish to benefit, and to issue statements testifying that they have the requisite knowledge and that the products sold under the designation of origin label have been duly monitored and statements providing information on how the livestock have been fed.

— Detailed information has been provided on the registrations that operators must carry out. This information is useful when monitoring compliance with the specification and with the traceability of the products.

— The product control procedures have been specified. They are detailed further in the control plan for the designation of origin drawn up by an inspection body.

— The mandatory nature of the product identification requirement has been affirmed in order to facilitate the traceability of the product. Detailed information has been given on the procedure for identifying the cheese on the basis of the identification mark and the stamp featuring the ‘Laguiole’ bull and the word ‘Laguiole’. The rules for distributing and withdrawing the identification marks and stamps have been specified so that they can be managed efficiently.

Heading ‘Method of production’

Sub-heading V.1. ‘Milk production’

— In addition to using cows of the Simmental française and Aubrac breeds, the possibility has been added to introduce into herds producing the milk used to make ‘Laguiole’ cows obtained from crossing these two breeds of certified descent. Since 1990, the group has been carrying out an experimental programme aiming at reintroducing the Aubrac breed into dairy herds. In this procedure, multiplication is achieved by transplanting and sexing embryos and the performance of the descendants is monitored. At the same time, the group would want to be able to cross the Aubrac and Simmental française breeds in order to reinforce the dairy qualities of the Aubrac through moderate mixing with Simmental blood while continuing to develop dairy production using the milk of the pure Aubrac breed.

— In order to facilitate checks, the composition of the dairy herd has been specified. It consists ‘of lactating and dry dairy cows and of heifers at more than eight months of gestation’. Thus a herd covers all of the farm's adult dairy cows as well as heifers close to giving birth before they are put into their production herd.

— The basic ration has been defined for the dairy herd and no longer solely for the dairy cows, and this facilitates checks and guarantees that the animals, starting from the eight month of their first gestation, receive only fodder authorised in the specification. The ban on grass silage, wrapping and any other wet-preserved fodder in the basic ration of the dairy herd supplements the ban on maize silage. The aim is to limit the amount of milk fat and reduce health risks and instead to favour tommes and cheese obtained from raw whole milk. Therefore the only coarse fodder authorised for feeding the dairy herd is composed of local flora from grassland and natural or permanent pastures and of grasses and forage legumes cultivated in temporary grassland. However, farms rearing a herd other than the dairy herd that is kept entirely separate from the dairy herd have the possibility of harvesting wet-preserved fodder and distributing it to the other herd, provided that all necessary measures are taken to avoid any cross-contamination with the fodder intended for the dairy herd. This clarification makes it possible to restrict the use of silage or wrapping to the herd other than the dairy herd defined above.

— The possibility to derogate temporarily from the provision on the basic ration in case of ‘exceptional weather’ has been removed, as it is no longer adequate.

— The grazing arrangements have been clarified in order to facilitate checks. As regards the grazing period, the concept of ‘summer’ has been replaced by the period ‘when grass is available, weather permitting’. Furthermore, it has been specified that the minimum grazing period is a ‘combined annual’ period and that it is the basic ration of the ‘dairy herd’. In other words, ‘when grass is available, weather permitting, the basic ration of the dairy herd is composed principally of pasture grass grazed during a combined annual period of 120 days’. It has been added that ‘During this period, the intake of fodder supplementing the ration of pasture grass must not exceed 3 kg of dry matter per day and per dairy cow on average for the herd during the grazing period’, in order to guarantee that the fresh grass obtained from grazing represents the principal feed of the animals during this period.

— The amount of complementary feed added to the basic ration has been limited to 6 kg per lactating cow per day so as to encourage the use of fodder produced in the geographical area for feeding the animals.

— A positive list of the raw materials and additives authorised in the complementary feed of the dairy herd has been added in order to better manage, secure and control feeding.

— It has been specified that part of the complementary feed may be of farm origin, meaning that it is a mixture of ingredients produced on the farm and of ingredients purchased elsewhere. These clarifications have been made in order to facilitate checks.

— A provision banning GMOs in farms' feed and crops has been added in order to maintain the feed's traditional character.

— In order to facilitate checks, it has been specified that the provision according to which average milk production per cow on the farm must not exceed 6 000 litres applies to those dairy cows that are present on the farm and concerns the amount of milk marketed or processed on the farm.

— A ban on once-a-day milking in milk production has been added to ensure the milk's quality. Studies by the French Livestock Breeders Institute (Institut de l'élevage) show that once-a-day milking raises significantly the cellular counts of the milk. Furthermore, as a result of concentration, the protein content rises from 1,2 to 2 g/l and the fat content from 3 to 4 g/l. This weakens markedly the rate ratio and is very detrimental to cheese produced from whole milk, such as ‘Laguiole’.

— Provisions on farm production and production in a ‘buron’, or Alpine cottage, present in the national text for the previous specification registered, have been added so as to specify the special characteristics of these two types of production and allow checks on them. Farm-produced cheese is made from the milk of a maximum of two consecutive milkings, and uncooled milk from the morning milking constitutes more than 50 % of the total volume. Cheese produced in a ‘buron’ is made in a building that is intended for cheesemaking and has been built in a grassland area at an altitude above 1 000 metres, from milk from a single herd grazing in these high grassland areas and milked during the period of transhumance (25 May to 13 October).

Sub-heading V.2. ‘Processing’

— On the basis of the national text for the previous specification registered, it has been clarified that ‘Laguiole’ is made from milk ‘non-standardised in terms of fat and protein’ and that ‘all physical handling is prohibited’.

— The specific characteristics of the manufacturing vat have been described: flat bottom, with a surface area to height ratio exceeding 10 (except for farm production). This facilitates the working of the curd in the vat and allows for good drainage in the vat, as the cheese is plated prior to transfer to the tomme press.

— On the basis of the national text for the previous specification registered, the different operations necessary for the production of the cheese after renneting have been listed: draining and plating in the manufacturing vat, first pressing in the tomme press, ripening, grinding, salting in the mass of the curds, ripening on salt, placing in mould, second pressing. The operations have been explained in more detail in the following paragraphs.

— The reference to the act of ‘breaking’ the curd has been replaced by a reference to the cutting of the curd after renneting, which is a more accurate term for the action in question.

— The reference to the placing of the cheese in the tomme press to undergo a first ripening has been replaced by a more detailed description of the operations in question: pressing in the tomme press for at least one hour, during which the cheese is turned over at least five times, after which it is ripened in a room whose temperature ranges from 18 to 26 °C during the first 8 hours and from 14 to 26 °C after that. It is important to provide for these different steps in order to manage the draining and acidification of the cheese and guarantee its aging potential.

— Detailed information has been provided on the grinding and ripening on salt that follow ripening: the tomme, whose core temperature must be equal to or higher than 18 °C, is ground into ‘cossettes’, or hazelnut-size pieces, and then salted in the mass at a ratio of 18-24 g of salt to 1 kg of tomme. Clarifying these steps provides a framework for the production process, thereby ensuring the homogenous salting of the cheese and preventing the cheese from cooling too rapidly at the end of ripening.

— It has been indicated that moulding takes place ‘after a minimum rest period of one hour’ in order to allow the salt to spread evenly throughout the tomme. The cylindrical shape of the moulds and their diameter have also been specified: 28 to 38 cm, in keeping with the description of the product. The moulding technique has been described: after grinding, the tomme is spread in successive layers, which are pressed manually or mechanically for a short time. This traditional method ensures that the tomme is spread evenly throughout the mould and that it is smooth, with no holes in the finished product.

— The reference to a ‘long and progressive’ pressing has been replaced by a more precise description of the pressing so as to facilitate checks: the cheese is pressed in a vertical press for at least 40 hours. It has been indicated that the cheeses are turned at least four times during pressing, so that the entire cheese can be drained evenly.

Sub-heading V.3. ‘Ripening’

— In order to facilitate checks, the reference to ‘damp’ cellars has been replaced by a precise indication of the relative humidity, which must be above 90 %.

— On the basis of the national text for the previous specification registered and to facilitate checks, it has been clarified that the ripening period is calculated as from the renneting date. The information stating that ripening ‘often lasts six to nine months’ has been removed, since it is only indicative.

— It has been specified that the rind is formed and maintained by rubbing and regularly turning the cheeses.

Heading ‘Labelling’

— In order to align the chapter ‘Specific labelling details’ in the specification with the chapter in the public summary, the size of the characters composing the name of the designation of origin has been clarified: they must be at least two-thirds the size of the largest characters on the label.

— The requirement to include the reference ‘appellation d'origine contrôlée’ on the labelling has been deleted and replaced by a requirement to include the European Union's PDO symbol, in the interests of legibility and synergy in the provision of information about PDO-registered products.

— The requirement to include the ‘INAO’ logo has been removed in line with current national legislation.

— In order to align the chapter ‘Specific labelling details’ in the specification with the chapter in the public summary, it has been reiterated that the word ‘buron’ may be used on the labelling and in advertising, invoices or commercial documents, in compliance with the conditions laid down in the chapter ‘Description of the production method of the product’.

— In order to align the chapter ‘Specific labelling details’ in the specification with the chapter in the public summary, it has been reiterated that the labelling may be replaced by direct printing on the rind of the cheese. In addition to this possibility, it has been specified that the labelling may also be replaced ‘by affixing a pre-printed bandaging onto the rind’, as that medium is stronger and better adapted than a label to the handling of the product when it is sent to the places of sale.

Other

— The ‘Contact details of the inspection bodies’ have been updated with the name and contact details of the official inspection bodies to reflect the change in the inspection methods.

— In accordance with the abovementioned national reform of the inspection system for designations of origin, a table has been added which sets out the main points to be checked and the relevant evaluation method to be used.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘LAGUIOLE’

EU No: FR-PDO-0317-01271 — 30.10.2014

PDO ( X ) PGI ( )

1. Name

‘Laguiole’

2. Member State or Third Country

France

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Type of product

Class 1.3 Cheeses

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

‘Laguiole’ is a cow's milk cheese with a dry rind and a pressed, uncooked paste, cylindrical in shape. It has a minimum fat content of 45 grams per 100 grams of cheese after total desiccation, and the total dry matter content must not be less than 58 grams per 100 grams of cheese.

‘Laguiole’ is in the shape of a cylinder of 30 to 40 centimetres in diameter, with a height to diameter ratio of 0,8 to 1 and a weight of 20 to 50 kg.

Ripening lasts for at least four months calculated from the renneting date.

The paste of the cheese is ivory to straw yellow in colour, and its whitish to light-grey rind may turn amber brown to granite grey during ripening.

Its milky taste is average to intense, depending on the degree of ripening, balanced, with a specific character expressed in nuances that vary in taste from fresh hay to dry hazelnut. It is persistent in the mouth and it has the typical characteristics of a cheese made from raw milk.

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

The basic ration of the dairy herd is provided by fodder from the geographical area. The only coarse fodder authorised is composed of local flora from grassland and natural or permanent pastures and of grasses and forage legumes cultivated on temporary grassland. The presence of maize silage, grass silage, wrapping or any other wet-preserved fodder is prohibited.

When grass is available, weather permitting, the basic ration of the dairy herd is composed principally of pasture grass grazed during a minimum combined annual period of 120 days. During this period, the intake of fodder supplementing the ration of pasture grass must not exceed 3 kg of dry matter per day and per dairy cow on average for the herd during the grazing period.

The amount of complementary feed added to the basic ration has been limited to an average of 6 kg per lactating cow per day for all lactating dairy cows over a period of one year. The complementary feed need not come from the geographical area, as that area does not have sufficient agricultural resources.

Only plants, by-products and complementary feed derived from non-transgenic products are authorised in the animal feed.

Only raw materials and additives specified in a positive list are authorised in the complementary feed of the dairy herd.

‘Laguiole’ is made exclusively from raw whole cow's milk, non-standardised in terms of fat and protein. All physical handling is prohibited.

The milk used to make ‘Laguiole’ must come exclusively from dairy herds consisting of cows of the Simmental française (breed code 35) or Aubrac (breed code 14) breeds or of cows obtained from crossing these two breeds of certified descent. As regards the latter, after the first generation, only cows obtained from crossing with a male of the Aubrac breed (breed code 14) are authorised in the dairy herd.

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

The milk must be produced and the cheese manufactured and ripened in the geographical area.

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

The marketing of grated ‘Laguiole’ is prohibited.

‘Laguiole’ may be presented as pieces. If the cheese is sold in pre-packaged pieces, each piece must have part of the designation's distinctive rind, with the exception of individual pieces weighing less than 70 grams.

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

The labelling of the cheeses includes:

— the name of the designation of origin in characters at least two thirds the size of the largest characters on the label;

— the European Union PDO logo.

The word ‘buron’ may be used on the labelling and in advertising, invoices or commercial documents, subject to the following conditions: the word ‘buron’ is used only for cheeses made from milk from a single herd that is milked during the period of transhumance (25 May to 13 October) and grazes during that period in high grassland areas at an altitude above 1 000 metres. In order to be able to be qualified by this word, the cheeses must be produced in buildings that are intended for cheesemaking and have been built in these high grassland areas for use by a single herd per workshop. Mobile or light structures, such as shelters made of boards, are not authorised.

The labelling may be replaced by direct printing on the rind of the cheese or by affixing a pre-printed bandaging onto the rind.

The cheese may also be identified by an embossed stamp comprising the Laguiole bull and the word ‘Laguiole’ and by an identification mark placed on the cheese.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area is delimited by the following cantons, municipalities or parts of municipalities:

The departement of Aveyron:

The cantons of Laguiole, Saint-Amans-des-Cots, Saint-Chély-d'Aubrac, Sainte-Geneviève-sur-Argence.

The municipalities of Aurelle-Verlac, Castelnau-de-Mandailles, Le Cayrol, Coubisou, Entraygues-sur-Truyère (right bank of the Lot and left bank of the Truyère upstream of the confluence of the two), Espalion (right bank of the Lot), Estaing, Le Nayrac, Pomayrols, Prades-d'Aubrac, Saint-Côme-d'Olt (right bank of the Lot), Saint-Geniez-d'Olt (right bank of the Lot), Saint-Laurent-d'Olt (right bank of the Lot), Sainte-Eulalie-d'Olt (right bank of the Lot).

The departement of Cantal:

The canton of Chaudes-Aigues.

The department of Lozère:

The canton of Nasbinals.

The municipalities of Aumont-Aubrac, Banassac (right bank of the Lot), Les Bessons, Brion, Canilhac (right bank of the Lot), Chauchailles, La Chaze-de-Peyre, La Fage-Montivernoux, La Fage-Saint-Julien, Fau-de-Peyre, Fournels, Les Hermaux, Noalhac, Saint-Germain-du-Teil, Saint-Laurent-de-Muret, Saint-Laurent-de-Veyrès, Saint-Pierre-de-Nogaret, Sainte-Colombe-de-Peyre, Les Salces, Termes, Trélans.

5. Link with the geographical area

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area

Natural factors

The geographical area is marked by distinctive features related to the nature of its soil and climate, high altitude and natural boundaries by virtue of the landscape. Its soil is rich in basalt and granite. The varied and harsh climate results from a confrontation between the continental and mountain influences of Auvergne, the reasons behind the long, cold, windy and often snowy winters, and those of the Midi, which bring warmth and heavy, tumultuous rain. At the heart of the area, the Aubrac mountains form a homogenous unit at an average altitude of 1 000 metres. To the west and the south, the geographical area is naturally delimited by the Truyère and Lot rivers. The soil, climate and altitude combine to bestow remarkable qualities on the pastures, in particular a rich, aromatic and abundant flora. Much more frequently than in other areas can be found there typical plants rich in aromatic molecules (terpenes), e.g. Apiaceae, such as spignel (Meum athamanticum), Geraniaceae (Geranium sylvaticum), composites (Achillea, Centaurea) and labiates (Prunella grandiflora, Thymus).

Human factors

Cheese has been produced in this region for a very long time. Starting in the 12th century, the monks of the abbeys of Aubrac and Bonneval laid down rules for the production of ‘Laguiole’ so that the milk produced in the summer could be used to feed pilgrims in the winter. They were imitated by the area's farmers. In 1897, the hill farmers got together to sell their cheese through a syndicat de vente, which became a syndicat de défense in 1939, and culminated in the recognition of the designation in 1961.

Today ‘Laguiole’ is still made from raw whole milk obtained from cows of the Simmental française and Aubrac breeds, which are adapted to the environmental conditions of the geographical area (mid-range mountains) and feed principally by grazing or on hay from the geographical area, without any wet-preserved fodder and with a limited amount of complementary feed. The genetic selection carried out within these breeds have made it possible to reinforce the protein content of the milk at the expense of the fat content and to obtain milk suited to cheesemaking. The diet of the animals is another contributing factor, as the ban on the use of maize in the fodder aims at limiting the fat content of the milk.

‘Laguiole’ ripens for a long time in a cold (6 to 12 °C) and damp cellar, and the success of this process depends, in particular, on a specific production technique (where the purpose of the double draining, first in the tomme press and then when being placed in the mould, is to increase the dry extract) and regular treatments (rubbing and turning). These operations are guaranteed by the skills and know-how that have been preserved in the geographical area.

5.2. Specificity of the product

‘Laguiole’ is a large (20-50 kg) cheese made from raw whole milk. Its pressed, uncooked paste has a high dry matter content of at least 58 %. It is ripened for a minimum of four months.

Its milky taste is medium to intense, depending on the degree of ripening, balanced, with a specific character expressed in nuances that vary in taste from fresh hay to dry hazelnut. It is persistent in the mouth.

5.3. 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)

At first, milk production in the geographical area of ‘Laguiole’ was very seasonal. Milking in parallel with the suckling of the calf was possible only when the natural fertility of the soil in the geographical area enabled the growth of an abundant flora to cover the animals' needs. In order to preserve and defer the use of this milk, breeders in the geographical area developed a large, long-keeping cheese, the ‘Laguiole’.

As this cheese is made from whole milk, its keeping quality depends on milk production and cheesemaking conditions that favour a milk that is suited to cheesemaking, rich in protein but with a limited fat content, and that can be drained intensively both in a tomme press and in presses after moulding, in order to obtain a pressed, uncooked paste with a high dry matter content.

Dairy cows of the Simmental française and Aubrac breeds are particularly well adapted to the environmental conditions of the geographical area. Thanks to their hardiness, they are able to benefit fully from the fodder production in the geographical area despite the restrictions imposed by the long, harsh winters. The fodder on which they feed is rich in aromatic plants, which give a fragrance to the milk and consequently to the ‘Laguiole’ made from it.

The raw milk used to produce the cheese and the long ripening period at low temperatures result in the typical characteristics of ‘Laguiole’ related to the lactic flora of the raw, whole milk.

Reference to publication of the specification

(the second subparagraph of Article 6(1) of this Regulation (2))

https://info.agriculture.gouv.fr/gedei/site/bo-agri/document_administratif-b80edb90-e691-4605-8645-79027fbd424b/telechargement

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

(2) See footnote 1.